Final Fantasy X3: Finding New Fayth
by Crukix
Summary: Two years after Vegnagun, and the Eternal Calm seems perfect. But something's wrong within Spira; good and evil are blurring, friends are becoming foes, and foes are becoming stronger than ever. Can victory be achieved? Or will Spira fall to ruins?
1. Beginning a New Fantasy

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing to do with anything found within the Final Fantasy X series, be it characters, concepts or places. I claim credit for original characters, scenarios and places only. Everything else belongs to Square Enix.

**Final Fantasy X-3: Finding New Fayth**

**

* * *

(Chapter 01; The Third Fantasy)  
**

Feet beat down on the roads. Fear fuelled veins. The only instinct was now to survive. Breath caught short, lungs burnt without mercy.

Puddles splashed as feet ran through them. People stood and watched, choosing not to interfere as the chase continued.

Blood ran cold as the walls closed in. A dead end. Turning slowly, the boy looked up with pleading eyes.

"Ple-" His words caught short, muffled by a gurgled gasp as a sword plunged through his chest. He was no more than a decade old, and now no more than another dead body.

A figure stepped forwards, holding a large hand over the still warm corpse. A small glow enshrouded the corpse, emulating forth in a small, pulsing ball until it merged with the outstretched hand.

With no more than a grunt of approval, the figure turned around and walked away, waving his fingers in a signal. As he left, two soldiers picked up the body, aiming to leave it in the plains; disguising it as another death due to fiends.

* * *

Snarls filled the cavern. Thuds echoed all around as the creature stepped forwards, narrowing its four glowing red eyes on the two figures before it. It opened its mouth, and suddenly a stream of fire erupted from the maw.

The two figures leapt nimbly away, dodging the stream of flames easily. The smaller of the two ran across the cavern walls, drawing a pair of curved blades as they neared the creature. The dragon slashed at the figure, but they twisted out of the way, slashing the knives down across the dragon's arm.

It roared its protest, rearing its head back and spat forth another fireball. The second figure suddenly leapt forwards, throwing out an arm, forming a large block of ice, meeting the attack easily. As the fire and ice collided, water was formed and suddenly splashed between them.

The figure drew a bow, cocking and launching an arrow at the fiend instantly. The dragon knocked the arrow aside easily, but in the distraction the smaller figure leapt forwards, bringing the blades down onto the dragon's snout. It ran along, drawing the blades across the fiend's face, leaving two large cuts that oozed green blood.

The archer suddenly leapt up now, hanging from a stalactite on the ceiling. Lightning burst from the figure's hands, blasting into the open cuts and sending electricity coursing through the fiend's blood.

The dragon roared once more, this time in sheer _agony_ as the two waved knives plunged into two of its eyes. The knives were pulled free, and in the same movement the figure rolled expertly under the fiend, slashing at the tendons of its legs.

The dragon buckled to the floor as the blade wielder rolled out from underneath. The archer suddenly dropped from the ceiling and pulled two arrows free; piercing them into the fiend's remaining eyes. The figure flipped backwards off the fiend, even as it shot another arrow from the bow.

The dragon crumpled once more, the attacks wearing it down. It flicked its tail at its opponents, both of whom jumped over the appendage easily. The bow suddenly gleamed in a faint red glow, and suddenly half a dozen arrows shot from the weapon, piercing into the fiend entirely.

It let out one final shriek, falling to the floor heavily. It burst into pyreflies totally, surrounding the cavern in the pyreflies' haunting song.

"Woohoo!" the smaller one celebrated happily even as they sheathed their weapons. "Another fiend bites the dust!" Her voice was undeniably peppy and enthusiastic, full of life and joy.

The other human grinned even as they sheathed their bow. "Next time, you could always look at it. I'm sure that would kill most fiends." In contrast, his voice was more serious, yet was still enthusiastic. The taunting in his voice was undeniable, even as the girl whirled round on him.

"What?!" she shrieked indignantly, her braids whipping the cavern walls. "Maybe you should just _sit_ on the next one and crush it to death!"

"Oh, I don't know Rikku," he grinned infectiously, gripping her arms and cornering her against the wall. "I might just sit on _you_ next time. Some might call it a favour to Spira..."

"Oh really?" she batted her eyes coquettishly, flipping him round and pressing _him_ to the cavern wall. "I'm sure pops wouldn't like that, Nilus." She trailed her finger down his chest flirtatiously before suddenly flicking his nose and grinning again. "That, and if your big butt crushed me to death, I'd come back from the Farplane and hunt you down!"

"So, stuck with you in life _and_ death?" he grinned shamelessly, gripping her wrist. "Some would call it torture."

"Oh really?" she arched a brow inquisitively, feigning innocence. "And why would that be?"

Static suddenly buzzed from a machina on her person, followed instantly by a loud, high pitched whining voice. "Rikku! Frana yna oui? E's _hud_ kuehk du fyed ynuiht vunajan!" (Where are you? I'm not going to wait around forever!)

Nilus let out a laugh, leaning his head against Rikku's. "And _that_ would be the precise thing people would call torture."

Rikku could only sigh. It was true, her brother was an annoying handful, even for her. She picked up her communicator, sighing once more before she pressed it. "Brother... ruf syho desac ryja E dumt oui hud du saccyka eh mega dryd? Tu oui ghuf ruf syho desac oui'ja tnyfh fiends du ic? Haqd desa E'mm mayja dra tysh drehk uvv!" (How many times have I told you not to message in like that? Do you know how many times you've drawn fiends to us? Next time I'll leave the damn thing off!)

"Rikku!" Brother's response was of course, another shriek. Typical. "Tu _hud_ dymg du sa mega dryd! E ys ouin umtan pnudran, yht E vmo dra creb! _Sa!_ Dymg du sa mega dryd yht E'mm mayja oui cdnyhtat!" (Do not talk to me like that! I am your older brother, and I fly the ship! Me! Talk to me like that and I'll leave you stranded!)

Both Rikku and Nilus rolled their eyes at his antics. Sensing Rikku was probably going to provoke the man even more, Nilus took the communicator from her, opting for speaking to Brother himself. "Yht ev oui tet tu dryd, oui'na y jano pnyja syh Brother. Beccehk uvv Rikku ec cusadrehk ajah ouin vydran'c maynhd hud du tu." (And if you did do that, you're a very brave man Brother. Pissing off Rikku is something even your father's learnt not to do.)

He threw a grin at the woman, who was nodding her head exuberantly in agreement. _No one_ messed with Rikku! Family or not, she'd get her own back on them.

Nilus clicked down on the communicator once more. "Yht Buddy... dno du gaab uin pnemmeyhd bemud yfyo vnus dra bnaddo, creho duoc. Shinra'c hud cu naytemo yjymeypma yhosuna, ev ra pnaygc cusadrehk, fa ymm civvan." (And Buddy... try to keep our brilliant pilot away from the pretty, shiny toys. Shinra's not so readily avaliable anymore, if he breaks something, we all suffer.)

From the ship, they could hear Brother's frantic shrieks alongside Buddy's chuckles. The latter was the one to respond. "Kudlry. E'mm pakeh luhdyldehk dra luhdnyldunc vun byosahd nekrd yfyo. Celsius uid." (Gotcha. I'll begin contacting the contractors for payment right away. Celsius out.)

The communicator blared static once more before all became silent. Nilus smiled, offering the machina back to Rikku. She beamed, accepting the machina gracefully before she placed it on her belt.

"Come on," she nodded back the way they'd come. "Let's get going." She glanced over, finding a large claw left on the spot the dragon once fought on. It was the proof they'd defeated the fiend. After all, they weren't going to get paid without it.

"Sure thing," Nilus nodded as he glanced back in the caverns. "Though it does make you wonder who was climbing _here_ in the Calm Lands to find such a place."

"Doesn't matter," Rikku shrugged nonchalantly as she walked back to daylight. "We wouldn't be getting paid if it wasn't for the mad climbers." She jumped outside of the cave, relishing in the sunlight that shone on her skin.

She had changed much since the Gullwings were first formed. Her long hair, braids and bandana remained, but that was it.

She now wore a dark blue vest over which she had a dark green leather vest with multiple pockets, and two long yellow pieces of material hung from the back of her vest, almost exactly the same as the blue ones she wore on Yuna's pilgrimage. Metal buckles dangled from the bottom of it, allowing it to be hooked into something else if she so wished. She wore a pair of cream shorts that ended at her upper thighs and a pair of black boots with white lace that reached her calves. She had a black pouch strapped to either leg, and another hanging from the belt which hung loosely around her hips. Brown fingerless gloves covered her hands, and her Kukri knives were sheathed diagonally on her belt.

After Rikku stepped out, Nilus followed. His blonde hair fell loosely over beside his right eye, while the rest was tied back into a low ponytail. Blonde stubble graced his chin, and his green eyes sparkled in the light. His left eye had a normal pupil, and his right was spiralled. Part of his left shoulder and his entire left arm was coated in silver armour. He wore a dark green sleeveless top, and his right arm was bare save for a spiked elbow guard. His right hand was covered by a black glove, in contrast to the metal gauntlet on his left, which covered his fingers only half way. Jet black trousers coated his legs, and he wore heavy black boots that reached his shins. Over his kneecaps, he had a spiked guard, and hung horizontally at the base of his back was a quiver, open for access on the right. His left hand held a black bow loosely in its grip.

"Yeehaw!"

Brother's voice echoed around them before a sudden breeze of wind came at them from below.

A large airship suddenly lurched towards them from below. It was a brilliant red in colour, and at the bow had a single figurine of a gull. Its engines whirred silently, and through the large windows they could see two figures. Behind the wheel was an Al Bhed with a blonde mohawk, wearing blue jeans with red suspenders, and large black boots. Covering his upper half were various tribal tattoos, and plastered across his face was a wide grin.

"Nulg yht numm pypo!" he cried as he pumped a fist into the air. (Rock and roll baby!)

To his right was another Al Bhed. This one had blonde hair cropped short, and a pair of goggles over his eyes. He wore a skin tight blue sleeveless top, as well as baggy blue bottoms and blue boots. His skin was surprisingly dark – even for an Al Bhed, who were _all_ naturally tanned.

"Hop on," his grin could be heard through the ship's intercom. "We're all done here. Might as well head back to Besaid for this party we've been hearing about."

"Party?" Rikku echoed as her eyes lit up in glee. There wasn't a _moment's _hesitation as she leapt onto the Celsius' deck, Nilus following behind her. As the two Al Bhed landed and made way back into the airship, it lurched again and set course for Besaid.

The landscape that passed by was serene and beautiful; a delightful mix of bright blue skies, deep sapphire seas and glistening green grassy fields.

A lot had changed in the time since the Gullwings had defeated Shuyin and Vegnagun. In fact, two years had passed. After Vegnagun's defeat, Shinra and Rin had looked into the possibility of using the technology used in building the weapon in modern day Spira. As such, Shinra had left the Gullwings, and lived in Djose, where the hole in the temple still remained for them to access the Farplane.

Barkeep was still on the Celsius, and operated the bar with his partner, another Hypello, whom they only knew as 'Darling'. Brother had slowly gotten over his obsession with Yuna, after seeing her unparallel happiness with Tidus. Even so, he would still take any opportunity to impress her.

Since defeating Vegnagun, there hadn't been any need to hunt spheres anymore for Rikku and Nilus. They'd spent some time on Besaid, but eventually become bored, opting for finding something to do. At first, they were helping other Al Bhed salvage machina from the sea floor, but they grew tired of that too. Now, they found fun in fiend hunting instead. Contracts were taken out on powerful fiends by various persons for various reasons, and it suited them brilliantly. Tough fights, and getting paid for it... both Al Bhed found themselves having fun.

The ship passed by a large marquee decorated in various hues of red and gold, and various blue banners that hung from the top. It was the headquarters for the Spiran Guard, situated atop the Mushroom Rock Road, where the Youth League headquarters once were.

Three months after defeating Shuyin, the Youth League, New Yevon and the Machine Faction all began working as one. There were now three main bases for the Spiran Guard, in Mushroom Rock, Bevelle and Kilika. Each one was presided over by an appointed leader, who all in turn reported to the three leaders of the Guard; Nooj, Baralai and Gippal. Each manned their own part; Gippal took care of all matters machina, Nooj the tactics and information, while Baralai overlooked the training.

It was strange sometimes; thinking on how much Spira had changed. The Celsius was a lot quieter than any other the four members were used to. Yuna had settled in Besaid, while Paine had gone off on her own journey. She'd stay in touch, occasionally helping out her friends from the Crimson Squad.

Everyone was moving on in life.

Rikku let out a sigh as she sat lazily in her chair. Her head leant against the back of the seat, while her legs dangled outside at an angle, blocking Brother from her view. "I haven't seen Yunie in ages..."

Nilus nodded in agreement. He was sat at Shinra's old station, updating the fiend bestiary they kept on board. It was one of Shinra's final ideas while he was a Gullwing; to compile a list over every fiend they had fought, for purposes of safety, and lately, economical benefit. After all, the Spiran Guard wanted as much information on the fiends of Spira as possible.

"It's been a few months..." Nilus voiced as he now leant back in the chair, crossing his legs on the desk. "Actually, it's only been two. Ah well," he grinned as he pressed his hand on the back of the chair and flipped backwards over it, landing smoothly on his feet. "Much longer 'til Besaid, Buddy?"

"Approaching now," he answered even as he pressed a few commands onto his console.

Rikku's enthusiastic cheer was heard all throughout the Celsius.

* * *

Knocks flared at the door, striking terror through her spine.

"Listen," it was her mother who spoke to her, offering her a wide smile, even as her blue eyes danced with fear. "I need you to hide, okay? You know where. Don't make a sound until I come get you."

The girl nodded mutely as she crawled through the small gap in the floorboards, replacing the cover above her afterwards.

She could hear her mother choke a sob, and quickly the girl bit down on her fist, trying to keep her own sobs quiet.

Another knock.

"I'm coming," her mother answered, her voice dancing with fear.

She heard the door open... and the voices suddenly became quiet. She strained her ears to hear what they were saying... but she couldn't make out exact words or sentences.

"... is she?"

".... not here! ... telling... lives..."

"... lying... search..."

"... telling... no!"

The girl's eyes widened drastically as she heard heavy footsteps enter her house, the thuds echoing loudly above her. She bit down hardly on her hand, drawing blood as tears leaked from her eyes.

"Where is she?!"

Now she could hear clearly. It was a man's voice, heavy with anger and impatience.

"I don't know who you're talking about!" Her mother, arguing back.

The man scoffed. "Like I should believe you. Search the house. Take the woman for questioning."

"What?! No!"

She could hear her mother's protests as she was being dragged away. She wanted to cry so much... but she had to keep quiet.

"No! _NOO!!!"_

_**Thump!**_

Something hit the floor, hard. Gurgled sounds escaped, until finally one long, uneasy sigh.

She heard footsteps again, and they stopped nearly above her hiding spot. She bit back a whimper, falling back into the shadows.

"Shit. Dead." It was the man's voice again, and he didn't sound pleased. "Fuck! There goes our lead!"

The footsteps suddenly started again, walking away. She heard the door slam shut, and let out a small whimper. She stayed there, waiting vigilantly for her mother to get her out, like she promised.

She waited for what seemed forever. As the sounds of pyreflies suddenly began floating above her, curiosity flooded her veins. Quietly, she crept back, edging the floorboards away for her to exit.

She found her way back into the house, and looked around in confusion. "Mama?" her gaze flickered around the room, trying to see where the woman was. She caught sight of an arm leaning out from behind a cupboard, and pyreflies dancing around above it. "Mama?" she repeated, edging forwards.

When she saw the body, she let out an ear piercing scream. What she saw shattered her heart into a thousand pieces, and she fell to the floor, sobbing over the body. The bright blue eyes that she'd seen everyday were now so lifeless, no light in them whatsoever.

Pyreflies danced from her mother's body, even as the girl tried in vain to catch them and force them back into the woman's body. As her hands passed through the soul fragments; she let out another scream before burying her face onto her mother's chest, sobbing wholly into it.

"Mama... why?" she sobbed uncontrollably, clutching desperately onto the woman. "Why?"

She screamed as suddenly _something_ lifted her up by the collar of her top, holding her above the body, even as she squirmed.

"No! _Nooo! _Let me _go!"_ she wailed even as she tried to bat away the thing holding her.

"Seems we found her after all."

Her heart dropped as she heard that voice again. The same bad man that was here only moments before, arguing with her mother.

His breath stunk under his helmet, and she felt it breathe on her lecherously. "You've got a special appointment. Consider yourself lucky."

Her eyes widened instantly, and again she tried to escape. "No! _Noo!"_

Waves of purple mana danced around her, even as the soldier's eyes widened behind his visor. "Quick, she's attacking! Kill her!"

"Noo!!!" the girl shrieked again, and the magic surrounding her suddenly began pulsing.

_**BOOM!!!**_

The house, the street, and everything in it were engulfed in the explosion.

The girl was the only thing that remained. She was on her knees, still sobbing for her dead mother even as pieces of debris and flesh rained down around her.

The destruction caused was the reason why she was the most wanted child in the whole of Zanarkand.

* * *

**Trivia: **

**~ Rikku's knives are the same as those used by Alice in Resident Evil: Extinction**

**~ Nilus' hairstyles are a slight mixture of Auron's and Wakka's; the hair Auron's, the stubble Wakka's  
**

* * *

**Trophy Unlocked: **_Defeated the Cavern Dragon (10)_

_

* * *

_**And so, the story begins...**

**Third in the trilogy series, but no real need to read the first two stories, though it would help. I can see it playing out like a game, hence the random trophy tidbit.**

**Just to outline a few basics that may come up in questions; the old characters _will_ appear in this, but they're not all going to be major characters, instead, it's going to be quite a few OCs.**

**Any questions? Don't be afraid to ask! Don't be afraid to say what you like and what you don't, constructive critiscism is always good!**

**'Til next time!  
**


	2. Split Standards of Life

**(Chapter 02; Split Standards of Life)**

Besaid was a beautiful tropical island. The golden sands illuminated the beach as the waves of pristine sapphire water washed gently over each other. The Celsius docked gently in the soft sands, and without hesitation Rikku bounded out of the machina, aiming to see her cousin.

Waiting for them on the beach were three familiar figures. The older brother and sister to Rikku and Nilus both – and their baby son; who was currently clinging to his mother's dress. Lulu and Wakka both wore equal smiles of pride as they looked down at their son, even as Rikku ran towards him and swept him up in her arms, swinging him round playfully.

Physically, Lulu and Wakka hadn't changed in the two years since the Gullwings were formed. Vidina however, had grown in the two years. His hair had now grown out, and orange tufts of hair graced his head. The baby fat was still going, and he was wearing a miniature Besaid Aurochs uniform. He looked just like a miniature version of Wakka – one that Rikku could happily play with, as she was now.

"Cootchy coo!" she giggled as she held him in her arms, tickling his tummy with a finger. "You've grown, haven't you Viddie?" She was now giggling even more as she threw him up and caught him, making the bay laugh in joyous glee. "Now just don't go getting fat like your dad! He's a big tubby, isn't he?"

"Tubby!" Vidina repeated happily, throwing his arms outwards in joy.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Wakka protested as he glared at Rikku. "Don't be teaching little Vidina that! He needs to learn respect and love for his dad, ya?"

"Too late," Nilus folded his arms and grinned even as Lulu shook her head in composed amusement. "Rikku's corrupted him already."

"Tubby!" Vidina repeated again, this time accompanied by him blowing out a mouthful of bubbles which drooled childishly from his mouth.

"It would seem you're right," Lulu smiled as she took her son back off Rikku. "The short visits you grace us with always lead to Vidina becoming more like his Aunt Rikku."

"Hey!" Rikku protested now, folded her arms and pouting in indignation. "I don't think there's anything wrong with that!"

"One Rikku's more than enough, ya?" Wakka guffawed as he ruffled her hair brotherly. "How would you feel if he started turnin' out like _your_ Brother?"

Rikku shuddered at the thought. One Brother in Spira was _far_ too many at times...

She glanced at the man, who was currently yelling at a dolphin for swimming too close to the Celsius.

Scratch that; it was too much _most_ of the time.

"Well..." she pouted as she whirled her head back round to Wakka. "Brother doesn't spend much time with Viddie! And besides," she folded her arms and glanced indignantly at the redhead, "would turn out like me such a bad thing? I'm smart, funny, strong... and... umm..." she bit her lip, thinking on what to say next.

"And have a _great_ sense of modesty," Nilus remarked dryly.

"Yeah!" she nodded exuberantly for a moment, before suddenly her face knitted into a frown. "Hey!"

"Some things just don't change," he scoffed, even as he backed away from Rikku's arm lashing out at his face.

"Got that right," Wakka nodded as another goofy grin appeared across his face. "Now come on, let's get to the village! I'm guessing you came here to see everyone, ya?"

"Ya!" Vidina echoed happily, causing Rikku to go into another babying mode.

* * *

Not once in her life had emotions hurt her like this. It was unbearable... but she couldn't understand why she hurt _so_ much, even though there were no cuts or scrapes. She wanted her mother there... she could kiss the pain better, wipe away all her fears.

But the woman was dead now. The man had said as much. She had _seen_ as much. She needed to escape before more of the bad men came.

As quickly as she could, she ran out of the rubble that used to be her home, darting into the nearby woods. She was already being hunted by the army, she needed to get away before more came after her for killing Zanarkand's warrior monks.

The only problem was, her face was known all over the majestic city. And a nine year old girl with lilac hair and yellow eyes wasn't exactly commonplace. It was only a matter of time before she was found.

* * *

Besaid Village was a beautiful sight to behold. In the distance, looming over the whole village was the temple, still intact and aging well. The west and east sides of the village were dotted with huts of brilliant purples and blues, while the centre had a large square for the normal parties to be held, as well as various stalls selling goods, and a few shops.

The old Crusader's Lodge was now Besaid's Spiran Guard base, yet still functioned in exactly the same way.

Lulu and Wakka led them to a specific hut, which at first glance seemed exactly the same as every other in the village – save for it being a short walk away from the others. However, the main difference was the symbol on the flap covering the hut – the symbol of the Zanarkand Abes.

It was Tidus and Yuna's hut, and the happy couple were no doubt at home. Rikku was hopping between her feet outside, eager to see her family, yet at the same time nervous about going in. After all, so much had changed since the days of the Gullwings. For one thing, Tidus and Yuna were married now. It happened nearly a year after he returned, and took place in the Macalania Woods – in the exact spring they had shared their first kiss. Having it there also meant that Kimahri could attend easily, and he was able to give Yuna away at her wedding.

Rikku's patience wore out, and she bounded into the hut excitedly.

"Hey guys!" she chirped enthusiastically as she rushed in. "Guess who's back!" She waved her arms happily, and in the process managed to knock over all the plates on the table, which hit the floor with a loud _crash!_

"Oopsie..." Rikku winced before quickly trying to pick up the broken plates.

"Typical Rikku," Nilus sighed, even as he grinned as she scrambled around the floor.

"That can only mean Rikku's here..."

Standing in the doorway now was a familiar figure, still not looking much older than he did on Yuna's pilgrimage. He still wore the same outfit, and was currently leaning against a wall, arms folded and a grin across his face as he watched Rikku try to clean up.

"You know Rikku," Tidus started, looking smugly at her, "every time you come to visit, we end up with fewer plates to eat from..."

"Be thankful she's not here that often," Nilus added slyly. "You should see the Celsius. At one point, thanks to her, we had to eat straight from the pans. Poor Barkeep went mad when he found out..." he reflected as he shook his head pointedly.

"Hey!" Rikku squeaked indignantly as she looked up at them, hands on her hips as she leant on her knees. "It's not my fault there was a big, hairy spider crawling through the cabin! I had to hit it with _something_, didn't I?!"

Nilus promptly snorted and held his forefinger not an inch away from his thumb. 'This big' he mouthed, prompting Tidus and Wakka both to laugh along with him.

"Hey!" Rikku shouted in indignation again. "It was a big, creepy _beast_ okay?!" she wailed as she threw her hands up into the air. "Things that have that many legs aren't natural..."

Lulu looked at her with a soft smile, even as Vidina continued to cling to her dress. "Remind me to never leave you unsupervised in my home..."

"So where's Yuna?" Nilus decided to quickly change the subject, knowing Rikku would promptly throw a sulk at Lulu's comment. "She never was one to spend forever getting ready just to see her friends..."

"She'll be here in a bit," Tidus answered, even as a proud smile crept across his face. "She's just feeding our bundle of joy."

Rikku's smile instantly increased in size as she leapt back to her feet, jumping up and down excitably. Yuna and Tidus hadn't only gotten married after his return, but a month later Yuna had discovered she was pregnant. Nine months down the line, Yuna gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, who was pampered and loved by everyone around her.

"I wanna see Kimmy now!" Rikku protested as she stomped her feet childishly. Yuna and Tidus had named their daughter Kimmy, after the Ronso that had guarded Yuna ever so faithfully while she was a Summoner. When they told the Ronso, Yuna was certain she saw a tear escape his eyes as he rocked the baby in his large arms.

Yuna softly walked into view, holding her baby in her arms lovingly. Yuna herself had changed slightly, her top was a lot more modest, as now it had sleeves up to her elbows, and covered more of her cleavage. Her shorts were now longer, covering half of her thighs each. Everything else she kept, although now her smiles were true, her eyes no longer tinged with sadness or regret.

Their baby gurgled softly in Yuna's arms, reaching up to grab at Tidus playfully. She had wisps of golden hair growing through, and eyes of mismatched shades of blue, one a sky blue, and one sea blue.

"Yunie!" Rikku instantly leapt at her cousin, grabbing her in a hug, barely managing to avoid squashing poor Kimmy between them. "How've you been? It's been too long!" She grinned again as she released her cousin, and her emerald orbs focused on the baby, and suddenly lit up with glee. "Can I hold her?" she begged as she clasped her hands together. "Please Yunie? _Please?"_

"Sure Rikku," Yuna nodded, although somewhat hesitantly handed her daughter over. After all, they all knew Rikku was clumsy at the best of times. "Just be careful, okay?" Yuna's voice was still as soft as ever, and like her eyes, now bounced with happiness.

"Yunie," Rikku pouted at her cousin as she took the baby from her arms. "You can trust me! I'm holding my niece here! Well, she's not technically my niece but... cootchy coo!" she grinned as she wiggled her finger in front of Kimmy's face, prompting her to squeal with delight.

"It makes you wonder," Nilus pondered as he watched them both, "how long it will take Kimmy to become more mature than Rikku; doesn't it?"

Yuna giggled, placing a hand to her mouth. "A month, maybe?" she asked playfully as she wrapped an arm lovingly around Tidus' waist.

"Nah," Tidus shook his head. "I'd say less than that. A week maybe?"

"Either way," Wakka guffawed, "no teaching her any thievery, ya? Last thing we need is a thief that's still in diapers."

"I _can_ hear you all, you know that?" Rikku pulled a face as she tapped her foot impatiently. "Besides, Kimmy's too young to teach yet; she's only a few months old! Her fingers are still to tiny to do any thieving!"

Nilus groaned, placing two fingers to his temple. "Something tells me, bringing up kids with Rikku is going to be a _nightmare_."

"A mage and a thief having children..." Lulu mused as she folded her arms. "Something tells me Spira isn't quite ready for _those_ children..."

"I'll prove you wrong!" Rikku declared as she spun around, glaring accusingly at Lulu. "I'll have lots of kids, and I'll be a great mum! Look," she held Kimmy up, "she hasn't cried _once_ since I've been holding her!"

"Uh..." Nilus started hesitantly, even as everyone else looked at the Al Bhed with wide eyes. "Rikku? You're holding her upside down..."

"Huh?" Rikku instantly looked at the baby and flushed crimson, giggling sheepishly as she held Kimmy the right way up. "Oopsie..."

* * *

She didn't know how long she'd been running now. Her clothes were becoming torn and dirty, and she didn't know where she was anymore.

She was all alone.

Alone, in this great, dark forest. The purple haired girl dropped into a crouch, leaning against a tree as she hugged her legs.

"Mummy..." she sniffed into her knees, crying for the woman who was so heartlessly cut down for trying to help her.

"She went this way!"

Her eyes snapped open as her head shot up, searching for the source of the sound. They'd found her already. She let out a strangled whimper as she pressed herself back into a tree, hoping to hide herself amongst the roots. As she pressed back however, something _growled._

"Why the hell would she run in here?! Surely even the _kids_ have heard the rumours!"

Her eyes glistened with tears as the voices came closer. But something they said rang bells within her mind. Rumours of the forest...

She realised when it _literally_ hit her. The forest... it was _alive_. The fiends had changed themselves in such a way in this place that they resembled trees, branches, even the grass. The thick branch that was a fiend's arm smacked her sideways, sending her sprawling into the dirt.

"No..." she whimpered as she clutched the ground, shaking as the fiend approached her. "Go away..." Her fists clenched tighter into the floor as it approached, and she shook silently with fear as she felt it stand over her, breath stinking of rotting meat.

"Go _away!!!"_ she shrieked suddenly, as mana danced around her. It pulsed and flashed, before one large beam of pure purple energy barrelled into the fiend, making it let out a piercing howl of agony as it cut straight through it's body, leaving a gaping hole in the middle.

The fiend gurgled, staring at the girl with hatred. If it was going to die by her hand... it was going to make sure she couldn't protect herself from any other creatures. As pyreflies began leaving its body, it raised its hand to cast one final spell.

_Stop..._

The girl suddenly found herself frozen in place. Her eyes glistened with tears, making her look all the more younger and innocent as she looked at the fiend. When it finally burst into pyreflies, she was sure it _winked._

Struggling was pointless now. As much as she tried, none of her limbs could move. She just hoped she had some luck left.

"I found her!"

Luck? She had none.

Soldiers charged forth, rifles at the ready. They all wore the standard uniform, a silver helmet with a visor, brown slacks covered by silver boots and shin guards, and a large almost fabric top covered by more silver armour. It was the standard armour everyone in the military wore in Spira, which with the current war made it hard to tell friend from foe.

"Looks like a fiend did the hard work for us, struck her with a Stop spell," one commented gloatingly as he walked up and inspected the girl. He knelt before her, his sinister smirk painfully visible to her. "Now, little Maelys-" her eyes snapped up to him at the sound of her name, burning with indignation, "-yes, I know your name," he laughed at her look, "as does all of Zanarkand. I have here a warrant for your arrest," he said as he pulled out a sheet of parchment, and held it before her face. "Now, I guess you have no choice but to come peacefully."

She managed one final glare at him before something hit her head, hard, and all went black.

* * *

_So finally, it seems like everything's actually at peace in Besaid... in Spira._

Nilus was sat in a small grove near the beach, watching as the moon's rays bounced off the sea's surface, casting the beach in a brilliant silver sheen.

Fiends were still on the island, though Besaid did seem to have more than normal. They'd eventually decided that it was probably because Tidus had been granted the gift of life again, and so other souls, filled with rage, wanted to enact their revenge. The good thing was that all of them were more than strong enough to handle a few fiends.

"There's something... I don't trust..." Nilus voiced suddenly, letting his words drift away on the wind. "Two years ago, it felt somewhat like this before we had to suddenly deal with Vegnagun..."

It was true. The Eternal Calm seemed too good to be true then, and now he felt it was the same. Spira always suffered from a spiral of death, and Shuyin proved that soon enough a new one would try to take the place of Sin's Spiral.

A rustle in the bushes caught his attention, and in a flash he span around, arrow notched and drawn, waiting for a fiend to approach.

Out of the undergrowth stepped Rikku, who placed her hands on her hips and smirked at the weapon drawn at her. "Now, that's no way to treat a girl, is it?" She grinned bubbly, bouncing up and down on the spot. "I could take that as a threat, y'know?"

Nilus let out a small grunt of amusement as he lowered his weapon, returning the arrow to its quiver. "Like you'd be able to beat me."

"Oh?" Rikku's hands returned to her hips and her brow arched in challenge. "You think so?"

"Know so," Nilus grinned. Before Rikku could even react, he threw a fireball at her, the heat of such scorching her even as it just missed her head and exploded behind her.

"Ha!" She went to gloat, before something _shrieked_ behind her. She whirled round, grabbing her knives before noticing the Ochu behind her, flailing in distress as the fire consumed it, leaving nothing but pyreflies where it once was.

"Like I said," Nilus suddenly spoke into her ear, causing the woman to jump, "you'd have no chance."

"Huh," Rikku grunted as she sheathed her weapons, looking away distastefully. Her pout slowly turned to a frown as her gaze washed over the mountainside, taking in the glorious sapphire waterfalls crashing down nearby.

"Nilus," her voice had changed suddenly; she was more serious, yet somewhat distant. "Have you... have you got this really weird feeling? I know I do..." she bit her lip as she turned around slowly to face him. "It's the same sort of one I had on Yunie's pilgrimage. And again before Kimahri found the sphere of Shuyin."

Nilus nodded, meeting her gaze. "Like everything seems a bit _too_ good?"

"Yeah," Rikku nodded numbly; vaguely aware she was beginning to pierce the skin on her lip. "You feel it too..." She wrapped her arms around herself as she walked forwards, staring out to the beach below, watching a group of children play. "It's like Spira doesn't want us to be happy or something. Or doesn't want _Yunie_ to be happy," she amended with a frown. "First the pilgrimage... then Shuyin.. you'd think she'd get a rest by now."

"I know what you mean," Nilus sighed as he stood behind her, watching the same scene. "But we need to remember now; the Fayth aren't in Spira anymore. Their statues are gone from the temples... no one practices the Summoner's artes anymore..."

Rikku sighed, leaning her head back, resting it against his chest. "You think that could be why? All the dead unable to reach the Farplane without a Sending?" Her brow knit in frustration. Was nothing allowed to be simple in Spira anymore? "What can we do now? Everyone's got other commitments. If something goes wrong, we're the only ones that could do something."

"Rikku..." Nilus shook his head, even as a small chuckle escaped his lips. "We might not have to do anything. If something does go wrong, maybe someone else could have to sort it? We've saved Spira twice, having to do so a third time would be pushing it, don't you think?"

"Maybe," Rikku shrugged against him. "But we both know if we found out something _was_ happening, we'd try to help. Yunie might not be a Summoner... but we're still her Guardians. If something threatens her safety now – or _any_ of theirs – we'd jump in and help."

"You're right," the older of the two sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. "But, maybe we're just paranoid? As long as we don't get contracted to fight any fiends with powers like Sin or Vegnagun, I think we'll be okay."

"Yeah..." Rikku laughed softly, closing her eyes as she listened to the ocean rocking below. "You're right."

Nilus grinned. "Of course I am."

_I just wish that we could actually believe that..._

* * *

Shapes blurred in and out of focus as sight returned to her. The harsh throbbing in her head made it hard to focus properly, and so everything took time to register as her eyes flickered wearily into life.

As it did, she came to realise slowly she was in a cell. It was barely large enough to fit her, and yet there were adults across from her, squashed into the tiny confines.

"Awake, finally?"

The voice pierced through her skull. It was so soft, yet at the same time so evil... so calculating... so trepidation inducing. It drifted towards her, seemingly soothing her from her unconsciousness.

Her amber eyes flared in indignation and fear, before narrowing on the soldier before her. As they did, they flashed purple for the tiniest second. Breath caught in her throat, and suddenly she felt the need to escape, _now_.

"The benefits of your magic, I presume?" the soldier inquired, smiling unnervingly. He rapped his knuckles against the bars of her cell tauntingly, listening to the dull echo given off. "So, I'm guessing you just cast a spell similar in effect to Scan?" Her trembling lip and hidden whimpers were answer enough. "That's a yes then. Well, no need to lie then." He smiled again, stretching his arms outwards. "I am the nightmare which plagues your dreams. I am the haunting creature your fears are based on. I am the one who is hunting down talented individuals, striking them down."

His eyes flashed red menacingly behind his visor, and Maelys felt herself cringe away from him. "And then... I absorb the very essence of their power..." If she was scared before, now she was outright _terrified._

"I am..." he continued, flashing a fanged grin. "Saeleos. I might be no more than a normal guard... but soon... I shall take control of all!" He looked towards the ceiling triumphantly, and then back to the small girl. "Once I have enough power, I can overthrow that _fool_ Yu Yevon," he spat in distaste on the ground, "_crush_ Bevelle, and then Spira shall be mine!

"But..." he reached through the bars, and stroked her chin softly, stopping as she turned away in disgust. "Little Maelys... it is _your_ power that shall help me utmost. Even if I took power from _every_ child prodigy in Spira... you would still be stronger. And you've yet to reach your peak..."

"Please mister..." her voice croaked out, "don't hurt me."

"'Hurt you'?" he repeated incredulously. He was about to laugh, until he caught her shuffle her legs in fear. He understood what she thought of him then. "Listen, _girl,_" he growled now, making her back against the wall in fear. "I have no want for such _vile_ acts. I can promise you; no such thing will happen to you while you are here." Her heart lifted slightly, but was shot back down by his snarling lips. "But you're staying here regardless. I need your strength to peak, and then I can take it for myself!"

His taunting over, he threw in a loaf of stale bread and a canteen of water. "Eat," he commanded as he turned away and walked back down the haunting halls. "I don't want you to die... yet."

As people around her wailed and wept, begging for freedom or slaughter, something within young Maelys tightened, and resolve flared throughout her. She would not end up like these people... she would bide her time, and when all was right... she would kill the sick man.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ Saeleos' name comes from Sallos; a Great Duke of Hell in Demonology**

**~ Maelys is a corruption of 'Mael' - a Celtic term meaning King**

**~ Kimmy is a westernisation of the Japanese name 'Kimi' - meaning 'She who is without equal'  
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**Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a_

* * *

**And so... the story begins to unfold...**

**Two continuations from both Final Fantasy X and X-2. Guess them and win a prize! As for the prize... it will most likely be the inclusion of the winner's OC.**

**The reviews are appreciated guys! I hope I shall continue to impress!**

**'Til next time!**


	3. Jailbreak

**(Chapter 03; Jailbreak)**

She'd forgotten completely how long she'd been left in this cold, dank dungeon cell, listening to others wither and die around her. She'd heard people receive beatings daily, bones would crunch, others would snap, and not everyone would survive. Maelys was torn between being thankful for surviving so long, or being filled with grief for surviving so long.

She'd grown taller now, standing around four foot tall, and her lilac hair had grown out, hanging limply between her shoulder blades. If she had to guess... she'd been here a year, maybe more. Every day she'd tried to escape, every day she'd failed and been thrown back in this dungeon cell.

Maelys frowned as she racked her mind, trying to figure out a way to escape. She'd passed the days of wanting another's help; she'd do this on her own, having no need for other's help. Everyone she'd tried to work with so far had stabbed her in the back, and so the girl decided she worked alone now.

Passing every thought over in her head, she began to see just where she'd been going wrong with her plans; every time she'd just tried to escape from her cell. All she really needed was to escape while _out_ of her cell, and maybe... just maybe, she'd be able to plunge a dagger into Saeleos' heart. He'd killed her mother, thrown her in here and taunted her every day, wanting her to become stronger so he could eventually break her and absorb her power. She wouldn't let him... she would be the one to end him.

As two guards walked down, one holding a spear and the other a rifle, an almost demonic smirk crept across the little girl's face. Her plan would be coming into place soon, hopefully, within the hour.

* * *

Letting out a small breath, Nilus relaxed as he felt the soft winds of Besaid tug against him. They'd only landed the day before, and already it seemed the quiet island was trying to keep them there. Besaid's natural quality of tranquillity and beautiful scenery always made it hard to leave, whether they were on the pilgrimage, hunting for spheres, or just visiting family.

Rikku was busy fawning over her neice, and Tidus and Yuna both didn't trust her fully yet with Kimmy. Not that Nilus could blame them though, Lulu and Wakka had both nearly murdered Rikku _plenty_ of times when she was looking after Vidina. Afterall, Rikku thought it was a good idea to 'girlyfie' Vidina, and put nail polish and lipstick on him. Needless to say, Lulu was _not_ impressed, and Rikku very nearly found herself facing one of the black mage's Ultima spells.

The bad thing was, Nilus mused, Ultima wasn't even the most powerful attack in the woman's arsenal. Lulu was _much_ stronger than that now; he knew after training with her. Both he and her were black mages, though it went without question that Lulu was stronger than him. He'd only seen the spell once; it was a year ago, when all of them travelled to Gagazet to meet Kimahri. Along the way, the Celsius had to land in the Calm Lands, leaving them to walk the rest of the way. In the plains, a fiend had decided that Vidina would make a good snack and charged headfirst at the then-one-year-old. Lulu reacted instantly, calling forth such powerful black magic that the fiend didn't just die, it was _obliterated_, and another crater was added to the Calm Lands.

Lulu's power came with the comfort that it would take a lot to kill the woman, though anything that wanted to attack someone capable of wielding every element as a weapon obviously had a death wish.

"It's... _too_ relaxed," Nilus heard himself say as he turned around, aiming towards the village once more. He still was unable to shake the feeling he'd talked to Rikku about before. As he walked, he stopped short as he noticed the familiar figures of Buddy and Brother ahead, talking to a baby-less Yuna.

"...join the Gullwings?" Brother was saying, flexing his muscles in some desperate attempt to win Yuna back into their group.

"Brother..." Yuna let out a breath, stopping to shake her head delicately. "I'm not rejoining the Gullwings. Everything I joined the Gullwings for, I've found," she explained as a heartfelt smile crossed her lips, "I found _him_-" even now her eyes lit up with joy at the thought of Tidus, "-and I've got a beautiful baby daughter."

"We know this," Buddy started to explain, trying to be the mediator. "But you know how Brother gets. He wouldn't believe me when I said you wouldn't want to join again." He glanced to his side at his fellow Al Bhed, who was now staring at the floor, defeated. "It's just, you know, you left, then so did Shinra and Paine. Brother's just a bit upset it's only Rikku and Nilus left with us."

Yuna nodded understandingly, reaching out and placing her left hand on Brother's shoulder. "I understand Brother," she spoke in her 'conflict-resolving' voice – something Nilus had heard many times in their sphere hunting days – "but why don't you come into the village with me," Yuna continued, gesturing back to the settlement behind her, "you can spend some time with Kimmy if you want."

As Brother's face lit up in glee, Buddy couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "You thought _Rikku_ was bad with your daughter? Just remember, she's only _half_ as bad as Brother!"

The man in question certainly didn't appreciate the joke, his head whirling round in an instant, glaring at the darker Al Bhed. "Crid ib!" he growled, eyes glowing with shamed fury.

Yuna couldn't help but roll her eyes. She understood perfectly Brother had told Buddy to 'shut up', for now, she was more than content to let them think she couldn't understand. "Come on Brother," she smiled as she held out a hand, "let's go back to-"

"_Gryyiiiaaahhh_!!!"

The rest of Yuna's sentence fell flat as the piercing screech interrupted it, accompanied by the thunderous sounds of the creature's wings beating. It looked like a normal Garuda, except this fiend was nearly all black, and _skeletal_. Instead of one head, it had three, and purple fire danced at random intervals over it's body.

Yuna reacted instantly, hand flaring to her holster, and in one movement she lifted the gun up and squeezed the trigger several times, firing at the fiend's middle head. Each bullet simply bounced of the fiend's hide, serving only to anger the creature.

Now decided he should make himself known, Nilus ran towards them all, taking a running jump, getting such height he managed to kick the fiend's left head, knocking the fiend back and away from its three targets below. Landing in a crouch before them all, Nilus cast a glance backwards, punctuated by a smirk. "You guys go into the village," he commanded, looking back at all of them, "I'll handle skeletor here."

"No." Yuna's voice cut through his plan, the soft tones usually present in her voice gone, being replaced with her fierce determination. "It's _my_ home it's threatening, I'm not leaving." She accentuated this by standing next to Nilus, who nodded as he stood to his full height, glancing back at the fiend as he drew his weapon.

"All right, Buddy, Brother," Nilus spoke to them both without ever looking back. "You two go into the village, see if you can't detach Rikku from wherever she is to get here."

"Gotcha," Buddy saluted, grabbing roughly onto Brother's shoulder. "Come on man, we gotta go." Brother however, remained rooted to the spot, his eyes switching between Yuna and the monster threatening her. "_Brother!_" Buddy demanded impatiently.

"No," Brother suddenly growled, shocking all of them. "Fiend try to hurt Yuna. I protect Yuna!" he declared with passion, clenching his fists and dropping into a defensive stance.

Buddy stood there for a moment, mouth agape, until the fiend suddenly screeched, recovering from the stunning blow Nilus had given it. The man knew Brother could be stubborn; there was no use trying to stop him now. "Fine," he relented, dropping his arm, "but don't go doing anything stupid," he warned before quickly turning and running into the village.

Yuna went to say something, to convince Brother otherwise, but all thoughts were cut off as the fiend suddenly dove forwards, aiming to rake them all with its bony talons. Diving to the side, Yuna barely noticed the two men do the same before she rolled into a standing position, unloading bullets into the fiend's skeletal body. As she did, she felt the distant heat burn up through her body, fuelling her veins; the thrill of fighting fiends, something she hadn't done in quite a long time.

Nilus scowled as he fired an arrow at the fiend, only for it to bounce harmlessly off the fiend's side, clattering away uselessly on the floor. He switched tactics instantly, two fingers passing over the side of his head before pointing above the fiend. Three massive blocks of ice suddenly crystallised above the creature's heads – one for each – and in an instant, all three dropped. All three heads dropped and screeched from the assault, though only two seemed injured. The middle head seemed to melt the ice before it hit, letting the melting substance drip harmlessly from its body.

_Great_, he growled as the fiend flared up suddenly, throwing bolts of lightning at them all. Diving around the one aimed for him, he noticed Yuna do the same before she threw a Reflect spell over Brother, shielding the man from the blast. The lightning blasted back, hitting the right head, which seemed completely unaffected by the blast.

Brother, meanwhile, seemed completely in awe that Yuna saved him. With adrenaline fuelling his veins, the man charged forwards, fist raised in the air to attack. He reached the fiend's legs before the creature suddenly lashed out, aiming to cut his stomach open with its bony feet. If it wasn't for Nilus diving in front of him, grunting as he bore the effects of the attack, Brother's guts would be painting the floor right now.

His face dragging across the dirt as he was knocked away by the fiend, Nilus felt himself slowly getting more pissed at the creature. One head negated ice, another lightning, the third, he wasn't sure, but judging by the random intervals of fire dancing over the fiend, he assumed fire would be useless too. With a growl he flipped into a righted position and charged the fiend, leaping atop its skeletal right head that tried to bite him mid run. Now atop the creature, he pulled out an arrow, jamming it into the back of the right head's skull, causing a piercing screech to erupt from the fiend. The creature bucked and screamed, throwing him off instantly, and crashing into Yuna, who was in the process of reloading her guns.

"Sorry," Nilus apologised as he jumped off the woman, quickly helping her back to her feet. Yuna shook her head, letting him know it was nothing. Dirt streaked across her usually impeccably clean face, and Nilus couldn't help but notice she looked more alive in a battle. It was something her and Rikku seemed to share.

Brother of course, was another story. He was busy screeching at Nilus for being slung into Yuna, not noticing the fiend behind him taking in a deep breath. Yuna and Nilus both felt their eyes widen before they erected shields of white magic and ice. With another screech the fiend threw all three heads down, blowing white-hot flames from each. In no time flat they melted the shields of ice Nilus had thrown up, and battled against the Shell and Reflect's Yuna had put up, giving them just enough time to grab Brother and jump out of the way as the flames shattered the shields, licking dangerously over their heads.

Yuna was the first to get to her feet, and a dangerous scowl took over her features. As quickly as he noticed it, Nilus acted, distracting the fiend with a globule of water. The blast of magic hurtled at the fiend with the force of a wrecking ball, only for the left head to rotate and take the blast, recoiling only from the impact, while the element itself did nothing.

But Nilus' attack wasn't meant to hurt the fiend; merely distract it. Yuna pulled out a second gun and twirled them both in her hands, the weapons taking on a faint red glow. Suddenly she stopped spinning them, pointing them at the fiend before she started firing like mad. It was like the pistols had suddenly become machine guns; bullets poured out of the guns and into the fiend like rain on a stormy day. The power of the Overdrive attack faded away, leaving Yuna standing there with two slightly smoking guns. The fiend, however, didn't seem to be any less harmed, and let out another ear-piercing wail.

It would have continued, if three small green objects hadn't landed perfectly in each open mouth. The eyes on each head widened almost comically before a series of explosions rang out, nearly drowning out the screams of the fiend.

A blur of yellow darted before them, until suddenly Rikku was stood there, knives in her hands and ready. However, to the thief's disappointment, the fiend took the opportunity to fly off in defeat, flying well out of their range of attacks.

"That was... unusual..." Nilus said as he sheathed his weapon. After all, Rikku and he hunted fiends for a living now; it was almost unheard of for a fiend to run. Most would fight to the death.

"Yeah," Rikku nodded somewhat distantly as she replaced her own weapons. A moment later she had whirled round, poking Brother accusingly in the chest. "And _what_ do you _think_ you were doing just then?!" she screeched, looking more terrifying than the fiend they had just battled. "Did you just happen to forget that Yunie can handle herself? You trying to be a knight in shining armour? Well knights are no good if they get _eaten_ before they can save anyone!" she ranted as she threw her arms into the air, letting out a large breath of distaste.

"Rikku," Yuna attempted to play peacemaker, noticing Brother's deflated posture. "Brother was only trying to help. It was thoughtful of him."

"Maybe," Rikku turned to give her cousin her best I'm-serious-don't-disagree-with-me glare."But what if he'd got hurt, _huh?" _She turned round again, opting to glare again at Brother. "_Well_?" Rikku was doing a good job of looking like a hellcat now, ready to claw Brother's face off if she wished to. "Sin's dead, Vegnagun's a pile of scrap, so you decide to throw yourself at any available fiend?"

"Rikku," it was Nilus who spoke now, trying to stop the hurricane that was an angry Rikku. "Brother _didn't_ get hurt," he stepped towards her, placing a gloved hand on her arm. "Cut him some slack; we're out all the time fighting fiends, can you imagine how much _he_ worries?"

Rikku bit her lip, fury draining from eyes as she considered the weight of Nilus' words. At the last moment however, Brother decided to open his mouth. "I do not worry!" he announced, managing to elicit a groan from Yuna and Nilus both, and Rikku's face lit up again in fury.

"Well obviously I must be the only one in our family that actually _cares!_" she spat, whirling round and storming towards the Celsius, barging past Brother on her way.

Brother looked at his sister in complete confusion as Yuna walked over, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. "Brother," she whispered, wondering just how she could get him to see sense, and maybe speak _after_ thinking. "Come on, let's go into the village," she offered, turning him gently towards the village, "we'll see everyone and give Rikku time to calm down."

"I'll deal with hellfire and fury," Nilus offered as he started after Rikku. "Maybe try to get her to understand." Yuna nodded, offering a silent smile before she led Brother towards the small settlement.

Watching them go, Nilus turned as he let out a sigh. He was just glad Brother _hadn't_ got hurt... he dreaded to think what Rikku would be like if he had.

* * *

The jingle of keys lit hope within her, acting like a fire within a dark night. Even as the two guards frogmarched Maelys out of her cell, neither noticed the sinister grin cross over her face. They walked further along the corridor, aiming towards the guard room sat at the end.

And in an instant, Maelys found her opportunity. They rounded a corridor, reaching a small blind spot, giving the girl the opportunity she needed. All the time she'd spent locked up, she'd been able to train her abilities, knowing now how to actually use them. Two flares of iridescent purple light flared from her hands, hitting both guards in their heads, making them crumple to the ground instantly, both stuck in unconscious heaps.

She stopped, feeling around on the guards for something she could actually use. Her small fingers came across a small dagger hidden on one of their belts, and she subtly pocketed the knife, hiding it in the folds of her ragged clothing.

One final act came to mind; she pressed a hand to her temple and another to the head of a fallen guard. A soft blue glow took over her hands, providing her with a detailed plan of the corridors lying around her.

With the knowledge in mind, Maelys straightened herself out, aiming to kill the bastard that threw her in here in the first place.

* * *

_Clang!_

"Rikku..."

_Bang!_

"Rikku..." Nilus tried again to get the woman to listen, standing unflinching as she threw yet more objects around the airship. _"Rikku!_" he demanded suddenly, causing the younger Al Bhed to whirl round, fury dancing in her eyes. "Will you calm down?!"

"'_Calm down'_?!" she repeated incredulously, gripping the pilot's wheel firmly in her hand. "I'll 'calm down' when my Brother starts thinking about _my_ safety!"

"Rikku," Nilus growled firmly, taking a step towards her. "Brother probably only said that because, come on!" he held his hands out imploringly, "we've beaten Sin _and_ Vegnagun together!"

"Oh, and that makes it alright?" Rikku shot back, sitting down childishly in the pilot's chair, folding her arms and staring out of the windows.

"And what's this going to achieve?" he demanded, walking to a stop next to her, looking at her with annoyance. "Sulk on the airship to teach him a lesson? Or are you going to steal it as petty vengeance?!" As soon as the words escaped his mouth, Nilus felt his blood grow icy, and his face dropped open in horror. "_No_," he practically begged, already knowing what Rikku was thinking.

"That's a good idea," Rikku grinned as she tapped a finger thoughtfully against her chin. "Get ready for a thrill flight, 'cos we're taking the Celsius under our control!" she giggled as she began flipping switches, gearing the airship into flight.

"_Rikku,_" Nilus tried again, cutting himself off as he felt the ship lurch beneath his feet. "I must be mad," he whispered to himself as he buckled into Buddy's normal chair, pressing a few commands to select their destination. "_Please_ say you're actually putting _some _thought into this?"

Batting her eyelids, Rikku giggled as she looked briefly at him. "How often do I _actually_ do that?"

Nilus felt his stomach drop again as a mixture of fear and excitement washed through him. Some things never changed.

* * *

She was stalking through the shadows, a mixture of nerves and hatred burning through her body. She was closing in on her destination, knowing Saeleos was in the room ahead. Blind, white fury erupted through her as she blasted the doors open with an explosive magical attack, knocking them square off the hinges and into several guards.

Letting out a war cry, Maelys charged forwards, dagger held aloft threateningly as she closed in on the psychic signature she'd stored away long ago, knowing it was the man she hunted. Instead however, he flicked his wrist briefly, causing a spear of non-elemental magic to spike up from the ground, stopping her in her assault before it impaled her through the face.

Panic flared through her, feelings of complete fear replacing everything else. Everyone rounded on her, and she felt Saeleos' red eyes bore into her soul from behind his helmet.

She needed an escape, and she needed one _now._ Her powers flared around her, sensing her distress, sensing her subconscious demands. Behind her, pyreflies swarmed, dancing around in a large oval shape. Everyone stared, transfixed on the swirling mass of pyreflies forming behind her. Instantly they took shape, becoming a swirling mass of purple-pink energy, bolts of pink lightning blasting from the oval.

Without a second thought, Maelys fled into her portal, leaving everyone behind, staring after her. It didn't matter where she ended up, as long as she escaped.

Of course, it only lasted as long as the portal closed behind her. However, due to her young age, and the lack of control over her powers, the portal continued to crackle and swirl, even after she had left.

Watching it, a sinister grin appeared across Saeleos' face. Wherever she'd escaped to, it was a new world, one with new people to indoctrinate, new power to find and absorb.

And so he stepped into the portal after her, unaware it was throwing them both one thousand years into the future.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ none**

**

* * *

Trophy Unlocked: **_Defeated the Undead Zu without Brother taking damage (20)_

* * *

**Been a while since the last update, but hopefully it was worth the wait!**

**Just to clear up any confusion there might be, Maelys is in a different time to everyone else, hence why a year has passed for her, while only a day has passed for everyone else.**

**Thanks for the reviews guys, they're all appreciated greatly! Thought, Gamerof1458, I see your point, I did leave the question last chapter rather vague. There's two continuations in this story, and they're evident in the games and past stories both. They're rather minor points, but as a hint I'll say that one's to do with the main villain, and another to do with the time zones.**

**'Til next time!  
**


	4. Discovery in the Ruins

**(Chapter 04; Discovery in the Ruins)**

Dust flared up everywhere as the small girl was thrown violently onto the stone floor. Coughing up a storm, Maelys lifted an arm to her mouth, blocking most of the dust assaulting her airways.

Amber eyes scanned over the environment, taking in the various rocky surfaces, the crumbling walls and the burning fires hung on torches on the walls. The place smelt musty, like it had lain undisturbed for many a year, hidden from the world.

However, there was something crawling around in the dark, skulking around, _hunting_ her. Maelys crawled back, knocking her back against the wall behind her as she stared out into the hollow darkness. Whatever fiends lay within the darkness, she was sure they were out to hunt her. Raising a hand, she focused her powers, wondering just whether she could defeat the creatures stalking within.

* * *

_Boom!_

Stifling a startled yelp, the large man dropped to his knees, keeping his balance as he scanned around the environment. Lithely, he grabbed a torch from the walls, the fire illuminating his features. He was a tall, broad shouldered man with tanned skin; and no hair whatsoever. Dark emerald eyes graced his face, which was wrinkled in a mixture of concern and interest. He was dressed in yellow leather clothes, and metal pads covered his otherwise bare arms. In his other hand he drew a small pistol, holding it expertly as he crept through the darkness.

Cid had decided to excavate these ruins a while ago, having learnt of a secret supposedly buried beneath. Like in the Baaj Ruins four years past, Cid had heard there was another ancient flying machina hidden in the ruins' bowels. However, now, there were two main problems. Firstly; he was investigating alone, the entire Al Bhed tribe now moved on to doing their own thing in Spira, and only the older generation – the now physically unable – were willing to help the leader of the Al Bhed. The second problem? He was alone in the Omega Ruins. One of the most dangerous places known to Spirans – known only because Yuna's summoner party had visited here four years ago. Cid was certain there were darker and more dangerous places hidden within Spira's expansive continent, but he didn't want to even _think_ of such places.

A soft 'click' signified Cid's pistol being pulled off safety, and he held it before him like a trained marksman; eyes scanning every surface and shadow. A inhumane screech made the man literally jump, and not a second later the remains of a demonic creature were slung before him.

Reaching to the sky, the fiend gave one final hiss before dissolving completely into pyreflies; spirit wrenched from the living world once more.

Swallowing nervously, Cid pressed his back to the wall, extinguishing his torch as he edged ever closer to the corner hiding the fiend's killer. Inch by inch he moved, until he was close enough to turn his head around and see the creature behind. Eyes widening, his brain barely believed what was in his line of sight.

Before him was a small girl – not more than ten years in age – _floating_ in the middle of the small alcove. Waves of purple mana danced around her, surrounding her body entirely, tendrils of mana snapping out like whips at the slightest disturbance. Her eyes were burning a horrifying golden yellow, and her hair flared as if caught in turbulent winds.

Backing away instantly, Cid felt fear grip his heart. Making his way back carefully, he reached down for his belt, aiming for one of Shinra's ingenious inventions. Pulling up the portable commsphere, Cid frowned as he pressed a few buttons, trying to get the machina to work before the child-like demon discovered and eradicated him too.

* * *

Watching the skies fly past the brilliantly large windscreen, Rikku felt her heart beat with sheer exhilaration at the sheer _rush_ of excitement of stealing the Celsius.

"Yehaw!" she threw her head back and let a laugh as she pressed down on the acceleration, mimicking her father's control of the Fahrenheit on the pilgrimage. "This is so much _fun!_" she announced, unable to hide the glee in her voice. "Why did we never do this before?!"

Rolling his eyes, Nilus glanced at the screen before him. "Maybe because I was never stupid enough to suggest it," he muttered, quickly and quietly activating _every_ safety mechanism he could find.

"Huh?" Rikku's head whirled round, her eyelashes fluttering as her emerald orbs danced with inquisition. "I missed that."

"Palyica fa hajan druikrd uv ed," he replied, slipping into Al Bhed – unsurprising as all the instructions were rolling across the screen in Al Bhed. (Because we never thought of it)

With a shrug, Rikku turned back to driving the Celsius. She couldn't deny she was enjoying the thrill ride, though wondered why Brother always complained it was hard work. It was _easy!_

_Brrrmmppphhh!!!_

...Aside from that rumbling sound. It caused the whole airship to vibrate violently, eliciting a sheepish giggle from Rikku as Nilus' eyes bored holes into her back.

"Oops..." she couldn't help but laugh as she pressed another random button, wondering exactly what it did.

Moments later a sharp sound of static danced around the whole of the room, causing both Al Bhed to wince and throw their hands over their ears.

"It wasn't me!" Rikku shrieked defensively, wildly pressing buttons in an attempt to be rid of the obnoxious sound. "_Seriously!_"

"I know," Nilus replied evenly, pressing a few commands as quickly as he could. "It's an incoming transmission," he said, managing to pull a visual up on both screens. When the static dispersed, revealing an image, which Rikku instantly leapt at, grabbing the screen with both hands.

"Vydran!" she exclaimed, near enough pressing her face to the screen. She could see Cid's face worn with exertion, beads of sweat dripping from the top of his bald head.

"Rikku?" Cid answered instantly, eyes snapping to the screen, and then back to his surroundings. "That you? Cripes, I thought I wouldn't be able to get through!"

"Vydran!" Rikku blurted again, gripping tightly to the screen. "What's wrong? You look like you've managed to find a whole _host_ of fiends!"

Leaning back and folding his arms, Nilus stared at the screen. "Given that you're investigating in the Omega Ruins, _that_ wouldn't surprise me."

"Yeah, well I don't need yer backchat," Cid replied, managing to scowl at the camera not a moment before his eyes shot back up, a slight hint of fear in them. "Look, there's something... not right in the caverns. I think it's a fiend... but... but..." the screen shook as Cid moved suddenly, jumping back into the darkness.

"But what?" Rikku near enough shouted at the screen, wondering just what was troubling her father. Her heart beating a mile a minute, she prayed to whatever fayth there may be left in Spira that her vydran was safe.

"But it _looks_ like a ten year old girl!" Cid erupted at the screen, showering it in flicks of spit. "Look, I don't know if she's a fiend, fayth or some unholy demon bent on ruling Spira!" Despite the situation, both Rikku and Nilus managed a smirk at that. The comment was so... _Cid_ that they couldn't help it. "But yer both fiend hunters, so I need yer here now!"

A second later there was a blast of energy, sudden enough to make Cid drop the commsphere in shock.

"Vydran!" Rikku screeched at the screen, watching the last few flickers of image. Cid's feet running further into the cavern, followed shortly by a small bare foot, cloaked in a purple aura. They barely saw the second one come onto the screen before the image shattered and went black. "_Vydran!_" she shrieked in fear, cold panic gripping her every nerve.

"I can't identify the exact location," Nilus said suddenly as he pressed yet more buttons on his screen, analysing the feed as best he could. "All I've managed to do is secure the general location; he's in the Omega Ruins, for sure."

"We're going there," Rikku demanded, her jovial voice suddenly steely with fear and determination. "I need to see if pops is okay."

Nilus nodded needlessly – they'd be going there regardless of his decision, it was, after all, Rikku's dad in trouble. He pressed a few more commands, securing their flight path as they flew in silence. The only sounds present in the Celsius were the hum of the engines and the occasional sob that escaped Rikku's trembling lips.

* * *

The airship docked in between the precarious rocks, harsh ocean waves rocking up against the Celsius' body. The docking ramp lowered, and not a moment later Rikku _dashed_ out, aiming towards the cavern opening – a small tunnel decorated only with the sparse lights of the dancing pyreflies.

Seconds later Nilus jogged out, stopping briefly to press a button on his person, causing the Celsius' ramp to close back up. Confident the ship was securely locked from fiends, he turned around to follow Rikku into the cave, moving at the same pace, if not more cautiously than the thief.

"Where's vydran?" Rikku asked as she glanced around the dimly-lit cavern, braids flailing about her person as her head snapped every way. "I don't recognise any of this area..." she complained as she drew a knife, raising it to the light and carving a quick indentation on the wall. She might be worried for her father, but she had enough sense about her to mark their way into the cave.

Eyes scanning the darkness, Nilus stood rigid, trained eyes focusing on each detail within the caves. "Left," he spoke, pointing towards a discarded torch. "He's gone somewhere that way."

Rikku didn't need any more information. She took off suddenly, pure adrenaline surging through her veins. Sensing the approach of new flesh, a variety of fiend closed in on their location, only to be cut away effortlessly by the raging woman. It didn't matter what sort of fiend it was; armoured, reptilian, even the gelatinous fiends that resisted physical attacks were slashed into pyreflies. It was all Nilus could do but keep up with the woman, making sure he kept out of the way of her attacks.

"Vydran!" she called into the darkness, hissing as she cut into another fiend. A war cry escaped her lips as she reached into a pocket, pulling the pin of a grenade out with her teeth not moments before she threw it at another in the distance, killing it in one gory explosion. "Vydran, where _are _you?!"

"Rikku," Nilus spoke again, standing unflinching as she whirled round to him, knives held dangerously. "Follow me," he whispered, boots crunching over the remains of the shattered commsphere. Noticing it, he heard Rikku fail to stifle a mixture of a groan and a scream as she noticed the shattered glass.

Ducking low, Nilus crept forwards, eyes dancing over every disturbance. Catching a brief glance of something on the floor, he sped up suddenly, aiming towards the anomaly. "Cid?" he pressed tentatively, hearing the familiar sigh mere footsteps ahead. "Cid!" he called out in confirmation, rushing round to the man's side, finding him leaning heavily against a wall, panting for breath.

"Vydran!" Rikku cried out, dashing to his side and gripping his arm as if testing to see if he was real. "What happened to you?"

Forcing a smirk, Cid managed to pull himself up somewhat. "That kid... fiend thing got lucky. Got yer pops with a stray blast. Managed to leave me in a daze, but I noticed..." he pointed to their right, his arm shaking as if it were the heaviest thing on Spira. "She carried on that way. Heh," he let out a laugh, and a sardonic grin cut over his face. "She was blastin' those fiends away like they were nothing. She's got some serious firepower, that one."

"Don't worry about that for now," Rikku whispered to him, holding his head gently as she pulled a vial from a pouch. "Here," she said, pressing the vial into his hand and closing it around it. "It's an Elixir," she explained, everything about her saying she wouldn't take no for an answer. "Drink."

Nodding in defeat, Cid tipped the vial to his mouth, draining the contents in an instant. Grimacing, he made a disgusted sound before he chucked the plastic container into the caverns. "So what's yer plan then?" he asked, finding the strength to push himself to his feet.

"We'll have to go after her," Nilus decided as he stood with Cid, holding an arm out as if ready to catch the man if he fell. "If she's a fiend, we'll deal with her. If she's not," his face twisted into a concerned frown. "We'll have to stop her somehow."

"Good," Cid nodded, standing tall and proud now, like the man he was. "I'll help yer find the little tyke."

"Pops?" Rikku blinked in sheer surprise, leaning in front of him, looking completely confused. "Are you sure?"

"Sure as anything!" Cid barked, drawing his pistol and glaring into the darkness. "I'll be damned if I let a little girl beat me! Besides," he smirked again, pulling a face Rikku recognised as excitement at finding a brilliant machina. "There might be an airship buried underneath this place. I'm not lettin' anything destroy it!"

Hearing that, Rikku couldn't help but smile. Her pops was back to the man she remembered, the same one that had grouped their entire tribe together. "Alright," she nodded, offering him a smile. "But don't go doing anything stupid!" she threatened, poking him square in the chest. "If you do act stupid, you won't have to worry about the fiends!"

"Heh," Cid grunted a laugh again, pride evident in his every feature. "Yer just like yer mother, ye know that?" Shaking his head and discretely wiping a tear, he puffed his chest out in a show of masculinity. "Right, let's do this!"

* * *

Cid couldn't help but let out a whistle as he watched Rikku and Nilus slay the fiends around them expertly. For every shot he landed on a fiend, they managed to kill at least two. It was no wonder why they were the best fiend hunters there were in Spira, and they were proving that to the man first hand.

"We're nearing _something,_" Nilus whispered, holding a hand out as he surveyed the area. Concentrating as best he could, he could feel the pulses of mana dancing further in the cavern, able to feel the currents affecting his own flow of magic. He couldn't place the type... he only knew the patterns of black, white and arcane magic. This was something new... something _deadly_ powerful. "Keep your guard up," he warned, dropping his hand back to hovering loosely above his quiver. "Whoever, or _whatever_ she is, she's powerful." He grimaced, glancing back at Rikku worryingly. "Maybe as much as Lu."

Rikku bit her lip, not liking the sound of that. Lulu was the most powerful of all of them, managing to hit even Rikku with her magic – and she was without a doubt the most agile of everyone they knew. Tidus came a close second, followed by Baralai and then Yuna. The fact that Nilus could feel this girl was stronger than Lulu... that wasn't a good thing.

They rounded the corner, three sets of eyes widening at once at the sight they found. Before them stood the young girl Cid had described, still with her purple aura surrounding her. However, stood before her were two skeletal demonic creatures, seemingly built into the walls themselves. Demonoliths were a fearsome foe, usually taking at least two, if not three people to take down. But this girl simply flicked her wrist, and the fiends both _dissolved_, bursting into pyreflies instantly.

"Holy mother of machina..." Rikku whispered, unable to keep her jaw from hanging low in shock. The girl suddenly whirled around, freezing them all in place with her unnatural piercing glare.

"Fiends..." the girl spoke, the simple word bouncing off every surface in the cavern, drilling into their skulls. "Burn." Her wrist flicked again, and even Rikku couldn't react in time before a beam of purple energy blasted towards her, aiming straight towards her skull.

It would have hit, if it weren't for Nilus, who was suddenly in front of her, palms dancing with the purple sparks of lightning magic. He sagged slightly, putting his all into the spell – Rikku recognised it as thundaga – but it barely managed to push back the strange beam an inch. He cried out and threw both hands upwards, causing both blasts of magic to blast sideways and into a wall.

"Not fiends then," the girl shrugged nonchalantly, eyes focusing as runes suddenly appeared in the sky around her. The whole temperature in the room dropped suddenly, and a still wind passed over them all.

"What's she doing?" Cid barked, glancing at both Rikku and Nilus.

"No way!" Rikku whispered, gathering herself a moment later as she held her knives in a deathlock. "It's not possible!"

"She's _summoning_?!" Nilus exclaimed, unable to hide the surprise in his voice. "That's not right! The fayth are gone from Spira!" he protested as runes danced around her even more.

"Maybe so, but I get the feelin' she don't care," Cid answered, staring at the girl with a blank face. "But yer understand, if she's gettin' an aeon to harm us, we gotta stop her." His lips twisted into a sour grimace before he suddenly fired his weapon, three loud explosions deafening them in the silence.

For all the good they did, he may as well have fired paper balls. Each metallic fragment burnt up and dissolved before they could even reach the girl, and in response a tendril of purple mana snapped at the man. Cid barely had time to cry out as he dived to the side, watching as the wall shattered under the impact.

"Oh, that's _it_," Rikku growled, staring dangerously at the girl. She didn't care who it was, no one attempted to hurt her family! She growled as she ran forwards, jumping and flipping over lashes of energy as she closed in on the girl.

One appeared in the side of her vision, quickly being knocked away by a sudden stream of fire. Dancing to that side, she leapt over the dying remains of the tendril, landing behind the girl expertly. Letting out a cry, she brought both blades down to cut into her foe, only to hit an invisible wall between them both. Her blades bounced back with a _screaming_ pain bursting into her wrists, and she felt every urge to cry out in alarm.

Magic erupting from his hands, Nilus stopped to frown as _every_ attack bounced away harmlessly. Scowling, he resorted to firing an arrow, only for that to bounce away in the same way. "It's some sort of 'protect' spell variant!" he cried out, hoping one of his partners would pick up on his train of thought.

"Got it," Cid nodded, reloading his weapon in between leaping around attacks. He let out a variety of strange noises, sounding like he'd burnt his hand suddenly – not surprising seeing as his boots were seemingly burning from where the whip-like tendrils had caught him. "Heh, take this!" he laughed as he fired two bullets, both shooting towards her in blinding speeds. One bounced harmlessly off the shield, illuminating it briefly as a bright white flash. The second battered into the shield instantly afterwards, shattering the shield instantly, causing it to collapse like scattered glass.

Taking the advantage, Rikku leapt in close, twisting around tendrils in the air before lashing out, chopping the girl in the back of the neck with the side of her palm. Rikku landed instantly afterwards, in time to catch the girl as she fell, yellow eyes rolling into the back of her skull.

Rikku bit her lip, wondering just what to do. The girl she held looked so young, she couldn't help but notice. She brushed some of her lavender hair from her face, all traces of anger gone as she noticed that now... she looked like any scared girl fighting off the unknown. "What shall we do with her?" she asked, looking up to the stern face of her father, and the inquisitive gaze of Nilus.

"Find out what the _hell_ she was doin' here!" Cid boomed, as if the answer were that obvious. "How the hell did a girl like that end up here of all places? And how did she get that powerful?" he glared down at her, unable to hold his stern gaze. "And how was she managing to summon?"

"I don't know," Nilus spoke softly as he knelt down beside her, pressing a hand gently to her forehead. "To all of those questions." He frowned, closing his eyes as a soft blue glow enveloped his hand and the girl's head. "I can't detect any serious injuries," he announced as he stood back up, biting his lip as he looked back down at her. "But that's all I can tell. I'm not a white mage; I deal with _hurting_ people, not _healing_." He walked around and bent down again, placing a hand on Rikku's shoulder. "The only white magic I know is Scan... if you can even call it that."

"That doesn't answer what we do with her," Rikku pointed out, stroking the girl's hair in a mothering way. "I mean... we can't just leave her here..."

"Lulu should know what to do," Nilus decided as he stood up again, nodding at Cid briefly. "I'll openly admit I'm nowhere near her level of intelligence."

Hearing that, Rikku looking back up at him, offering a grin. "We'd be screwed without her, even now, huh?"

"I suppose so," Nilus nodded. "Give her here," he gestured, picking the unconscious girl up and holding her in his arms. "We'll take the Celsius back to Besaid, and maybe clear things up with Brother too."

"Brother?" Rikku looked at him in complete confusion. "Oh!" she gasped, realisation hitting her full force. "I forgot I was angry with him..." she admitted as she scratched her cheek with a green-painted nail. "Vydran," she turned to face her father, a mixture of emotions on her face. "Are you going to come with us?"

Considering his options for a moment, Cid glanced around the corridors of the Omega Ruins. "I'm going to stay here for a bit longer, see if I can't find that airship." He smiled again, feeling like a kid again at the prospect of finding another buried machina. "But Rikku," he placed a hand on her shoulder, staring her in the eyes. "Ye take care, ye hear? I saw yer fighting today, and I know that ye can handle yerself but... don't put yerself in harm's way, ye hear."

"Vydran..." Rikku whispered, feeling again like she was a child, listening to her words of encouragement. Unable to help herself, she flung herself forwards, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. "I won't. But you make sure you take care too." Pulling away, she looked up at her father, glaring at the man. "Sin's dead, so's Vegnagun. So you better make sure you live until you're old, wrinkly and bald! Well..." she scrunched her nose up, unable to hide her smile. "Maybe you've already got the last part down..."

Chuckling to himself, Cid shook his head, ruffling his daughter's hair. "Watch yerself kiddo, I _am_ yer pops after all, I'll still give you a spanking if ye deserve one, _Guardian_ Rikku or not."

"Come on Rikku," Nilus spoke softly, feeling bad for imposing on the father-daughter moment. "I need you to clear a path; I can't fight while I'm carrying this girl." Nodding her acceptance, Rikku squeezed her father one last time before skipping a few paces ahead, drawing her knives once more, awaiting battle eagerly.

"Nilus," Cid spoke gruffly, stopping the man in mid-step. The older Al Bhed rubbed the back of his bald head awkwardly, though maintained a stern look. "I know I say it to yer every time I see yer... but make sure yer look after Rikku, ye hear?"

"Always do Cid," Nilus nodded, knowing the man was no good at speaking his emotions. "Take care of yourself too. If you do anything stupid, _I'm_ the one that has to deal with the resulting wave of Rikku-destruction."

"Yeah," Cid chuckled again, smiling with pride in the direction of his only daughter. "Rikku's like that. But, ye take care of yerself too," he added meeting the man's gaze. "Rikku's happy when she's with yer... I can see that."

"Thanks Cid," the archer nodded, feeling a smile cross his lips. "See you soon." Echoing sounds of his heavy footsteps graced Cid's ears as the man left, walking down the corridors after Rikku.

_Dern kids..._ Cid couldn't help but shake his head as he contemplated everything he'd seen. Shrugging his shoulders, the man turned around and grabbed another torch, walking deeper into the caves. As brilliant fighters as they were... Cid couldn't help but feel sometime in the distant future they'd need the airship he sought. He just hoped they wouldn't need it anytime in the near future.

* * *

Feeling gravity take its effect, Saeleos threw his arms in front of him, bracing himself for impact. Grunting as he landed on the floor, his eyes widened underneath his visor as he felt the ground move beneath his hands. Gripping at the floor, he felt it sift away between his fingers.

_Sand...?_

Pushing himself up, Saeleos scanned over every detail, taking in the brilliantly golden sands, the lustrous blue seas rocking gently in the near distance. Ruins darted over the distant landscape, remnants of construction the man recognised well.

Bevelle and Zanarkand joint construction... golden sands... beaches... all the pieces were beginning to add up in his mind.

Besaid Island.

Something had changed though... the world around him was littered with the ruins of their creations. How far into the future had he jumped? His mind whirled with the prospect... a new world... new victims... new powers...

"Hello?"

The voice was feminine and soft, immeasurable wisdom and confidence behind them. Glancing up, he saw a beautiful woman stood before him. She wore black boots and black shorts, with a blue and white ruffled half skirt. A white top graced her upper half, coupled with what Saeleos recognised as the symbol of the Zanarkand Abes. Her brown hair was cut loosely around her face, moving into a long ponytail that extended all the way to her feet. Most striking of all, however, were her mismatched eyes, one green, one blue.

"Hello?" she repeated, hands pressed together in a gesture of obvious concern. "Are you alright?"

_Alright?_ Saeleos felt a smirk growing over his face. He was more than 'alright'... in fact, he'd found his newest victim.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ Job wise, Cid would fall into the class of 'Gunner', given his abilities in this chapter**

**

* * *

Trophy Unlocked: **_Defeated Maelys in the Omega Ruins (10)_

_

* * *

_**And finally the two worlds collide. Maelys ends up all the way in the Omega Ruins and Saeleos in Besaid. How they managed that by taking the same portal? It will cleared up in time.**

**Once again, thanks for all the reviews! And between now and the next update, I wish you all a merry christmas!!  
**


	5. Friends Become Foes

**(Chapter 05; Friend Becomes Foe)**

"She ish healthy, she jusht needs shome resht, yesh?"

That was Barkeep's evaluation of the mysterious lilac-haired girl that Nilus and Rikku had brought onto the Celsius. While it was true he was not a qualified healer, he had spent enough time tending to their wounds to be able to heal basic cuts and scrapes. Deciding it was best to keep an eye on her, they had set the ship onto autopilot, flying back towards Besaid as they looked over the girl.

"Just how did she manage to summon though?" Rikku asked as she stretched out on one of the cabin's beds, leaning on one side. "I mean, the fayth are gone from Spira, there's no connection for her to call an aeon!"

"I don't know," Nilus replied. He was sat on a chair between Rikku's and the girl's bed, leaning back and arms folded in thought. "We thought they had left Spira two years ago, but they came back to fight Shuyin... granted they got corrupted in the process."

"Yeah... but..." Rikku trailed, trying to find a train of thought. "It just doesn't make sense!" she declared as she sat up, pounding fists against her legs. "Maybe the fayth have a stronger connection to Spira than we thought? Being imprisoned in stone for a millennia has gotta produce some sort of bond..."

"Perhaps," Nilus wondered, folding his hands together. "When a summoner called for an aeon, they willed the creature into being; manipulating the pyreflies into accepting a living soul to command them for a period of time. We already saw she's got some serious power, maybe she's got enough will within her to summon whatever remains of the aeons?"

"But wouldn't that mean she's more powerful than _everyone_ in Spira?" Rikku frowned, scrunching her nose up in thought. "That's... a lot to take in..." she whispered, staring at the unconscious girl. "I mean, she's no more than ten!"

"Age isn't a direct measure of power," Nilus informed her. "Many people show strong power from early ages – Lulu was one of them." He frowned. "Though... I don't think she had that amount of power." He stopped again, glancing outside the window, watching as the ship passed a few gulls. "We can probably ask her herself when she wakes." A soft groan echoed from the girl, as her eyes flickered beneath her eyelids. "Which is probably sometime soon."

"Mmrrhh..." Her eyelids flickered more as consciousness flowed back into her, and slowly, she became more aware of her surroundings. The metallic hum of machines...the steady vibrations of something underneath herself... the soft material she was lying on.... the strange voices she could hear around her.

_That_ made her sit bolt upright. Purple mana flowed into and around her hands, amber eyes glowing at the two threats opposite her. They both jumped back, dropping into defensive stances, and at once, she recognised them.

"You..." she growled, backing up to stand behind her bed. "I remember you two.... you attacked me in the caverns. Why?"

"Calm down," Nilus whispered to her, holding his palms up in surrender. "We didn't attack first. You thought we were fiends, so we had to defend ourselves."

The girl cocked her head, recalling the events. "I did," she agreed, though didn't lower her attack. She stepped further back, glow around her hand pulsing even brighter. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"We're not the bad guys here, you know?" Rikku spoke now, taking a tentative step forwards. "I'm Rikku," she introduced herself with a smile. "And this is Nilus. We're good guys," she explained with a nod. "We beat Sin a few years ago, and then Vegnagun after that."

The girl blinked, confusion cloaking her face. "Sin? Vegnagun?" she echoed. "What are they?"

Both Al Bhed stared at her as if she'd grown a second head. _Everyone _on Spira knew of Sin and Vegnagun, everyone was warned of them, lest the past repeat itself.

"Kid..." Nilus whispered, taking a step closer, "just where abouts are you from?"

"Stop!" she growled, thrusting a hand forwards. "I don't trust you. The mean men from the guard took me and locked me up. They killed my mother, and locked me away in the darkness forever. Do _you_ work with him?"

Their blank faces said volumes more than their words could.

"What guards do you mean?" Rikku asked. "Not the ones from Bevelle, they've stopped all that now. At least they _should_ have..." she growled, her features darkening significantly.

"Bevelle?" the girl echoed. "We're at war with them... but Zanarkand is attacking their own people."

"Zanarkand?" the word left Nilus and Rikku's mouths as one, and they both stared at her in complete confusion.

"Kid..." Nilus whispered once more. "You sure you're from Zanarkand?" She nodded. It was beginning to have a major sense of déjà vu. "Zanarkand was destroyed a thousand and four years ago... there _is_ no Zanarkand now..."

"No..." she whispered, mana growing ever brighter in her palms. "You're lying!"

"We're not lying," Rikku whispered sincerely. "What's your name? We can help-"

"I don't need help!" the girl snapped. "I can get everything done on my own! I just need to find out where the mean man is, and I can make him pay for what he did." Her features darkened considerably, and both Al Bhed backed away cautiously, knowing her power.

"Okay, but we need _your_ help," Nilus countered. "We need to know how you got to the Omega Ruins, and how you were summoning. If you can help us with that..." he trailed, feeling a grimace cross his features. "We'll help you find the mean man."

The girl looked at him, then Rikku, then to the floor, lowering her arm, and letting her mana fade away. "Fine, I'll help you," she nodded. "I'm Maelys," she offered. "I..." she stopped, choking on a build up of tears. Everything she'd learnt was hitting her now, and no matter the facade, she was still only a young girl.

"Maelys," Rikku whispered, walking towards her slowly. "How about we get you cleaned up, hm?" She offered an outstretched hand and a smile. "You look like you need a nice clean. And maybe a change of clothes," she added, nodding to the discoloured rags currently being worn by the girl. "You can tell me everything, while Nilus goes to pilot this ship. Give us a bit of girl time, huh?"

For the first time, a small smile crossed Maelys' lips. "Fine." She nodded and accepted Rikku's offered hand.

Rikku looked back, offering a small smile. Not for the first time, a single thought crossed her mind; _I get the feeling something big's round the corner... I just don't wanna know what._

* * *

Lulu had grown tired of listening to Brother's frantic ravings about how Rikku was inconsiderate a long time ago. Thankfully, he knew that annoying the woman would result in extreme pain, so he was now avoiding her.

Though something puzzled her. Yuna had left to the beach a few hours ago, wondering if she could find any trace of Rikku. It wasn't like her now to leave her daughter alone... she just loved her too much.

"Lulu."

The voice caught the mage's concern and attention. It _was_ Yuna's voice... but something was wrong... it was broken... hollow.

"Yuna, what-"

Lulu's heart froze as she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun, with her sister holding the trigger. She daren't blink, unable to move her eyes from Yuna's, which were now dull, shadows of their former selves.

It was only when more hollow-eyed people walked into her tent did Lulu realise that she was doomed.

* * *

"Should be at Besaid within five minutes," Nilus droned needlessly, aware that he was the only person in the room.

"...and this is the bridge." Rikku's voice suddenly erupted into the halls, bringing an abrupt end to the silence in the airship. Next to her stood Maelys, who stared around the ship in a mixture of wonder and interest.

Since she'd woken up, Rikku had given the girl a complete image overhaul. Her lilac hair was now completely curled, falling softly around her face. She wore a deep sapphire sleeveless top that had a black hood attached to the back, and a pair of black pants with sapphire stripes over her legs. Small black boots covered her feet, and a variety of silver bangles dangled from her wrist, alongside a necklace with a pentagram pendant. Two black straps were on either leg, both holding a pouch, and her fingernails had all been painted a deep blue.

"Up to speed?" Nilus asked, swivelling round in his chair to see both Rikku and Maelys. The latter nodded silently, trying to remain indifferent to everything around her, while Rikku nodded as she made her way towards him.

"Yc vyn yc E lyh damm, cra fyc dammehk dra dnidr ypuid frana cra'c vnus," Rikku began, stopping just before Nilus, explaining what she knew animatedly. "Cra nasaspanc ajanodrehk cra cruimt tu, caasc mega cra kud fynbat rana yd dra pakehhehk uv dra Machina fyn." (As far as I can tell, she was telling the truth about where she's from. She remembers everything she should do, seems like she got warped here at the beginning of the Machina war.)

"Huh," Nilus nodded, glancing towards Maelys, offering a small smile as she stared at them in wonder. "'Fynbat' rana? Ec dryd ruf cra'c rana?" he asked. ('Warped' here? Is that how she's here?)

Rikku nodded again, glancing backwards at her for a second. "Oayr, cra kud rana zicd mega dryd - fynbat. Ybbynahdmo cra syhykat du lnayda y bundym dryd pnuikrd ran du dra Omega Ruins - ed tuach'd cinbneca sa, caaehk yc ruf fa vuiht ran drana..." She turned back to Nilus now, biting her bottom lip in worry. "Pid cusadrehk caasc ysecc." (Yeah, she got here just like that - warped. Apparently she managed to create a portal that brought her to the Omega Ruins - it doesn't surprise me, seeing as how we found her there... but something seems amiss.)

Nilus found himself nodding, recounting the past. "E ghuf fryd oui sayh. Tidus lysa vnus Zanarkand palyica dra fayth fyhdat res rana, Shuyin drnuikr paehk ihcahd..." He leant forwards, folding his hands together and leaning on the enclosed fists. "Drana'c kud du pa yh uidceta ehvmiahla... ed tuach'd syga cahca vun ran du pa rana drnuikr ran ufh bufan." (I know what you mean. Tidus came from Zanarkand because the fayth wanted him here, Shuyin through being unsent... there's got to be an outside influence... it doesn't make sense for her to be here through her own power.)

"Pid cra lyh summon." Rikku pointed out, shrugging with open hands. "Cinamo ed'c buccepma vun ran du ryja dryd gehty bufan?" (But she can summon. Surely it's possible for her to have that kinda power?)

"Syopa ed ec," he conceded, glancing at the girl quickly. "Pid ruhacdmo, E't nydran hud drehg uv y dah oayn umt fedr dryd bufan. Ed'c duu... ihcaddmehk." (Maybe it is. But honestly, I'd rather not think of a ten year old with that power. It's too... unsettling.)

"I can understand that." Rikku nodded, switching back into Spiran. "Imagine the power in a few years. Huh." She shrugged again, turning fully to face Maelys. "By the way, when we make our way to Besaid, there's gonna be fiends on the road. You know how to deal with them?"

"'Fiends'?" the girl echoed. "You mean the creatures constructed of pyreflies?" A nod from Rikku prompted the girl to smirk. "I can deal with them. I'm strong enough to handle myself."

"Be that as it may," Nilus spoke as he stood up, "you can't argue that people are stronger in a team. We can cover any weaknesses you might have-"

"I'm _not_ weak!" she snapped, eyes glowing amber as purple mana surrounded her hands again.

"I didn't say you were!" Nilus quickly replied, holding his hands up in surrender. "You're not weak, but even you can admit there's things you can't do?" The girl nodded reluctantly, letting her power flow away. "Good." Nilus let out a breath. "What I meant was that we can cover for each other. I can take hits better than Rikku, but she can avoid them more, things like that, you know? You understand all that?"

Maelys nodded. "I know the basics, that's all my m-mother-" she hiccupped on the word, but Rikku and Nilus pretended to ignore it, "would let me learn."

Rikku smiled, taking a step forwards. "That should be enough for now. Anything more, we'll let you know. What about statuses?"

Maelys rolled her eyes, much like the child she was. "Of course I know them. Good ones are auto-life, haste, protect, reflect, regen and shell. Bad ones are poison, slow, sleep, stop, blind, silence, berserk, confusion, stone, doom and zombie."

"That's not all," Nilus said as he folded his arms, causing Maelys to look at him in shock. "There's burn, which hurts you every so often, and makes you hurt more by ice attacks. Freeze is its opposite, you can't move at all, but take more damage from fire. Drench means you take more thunder damage, while float lets you avoid ground attacks while taking more damage from wind attacks."

"Those are just the elemental based ones," Rikku added with a teacher's smile. "Curse means you can't use your overdrives, paralyze; you can't use anything but magic, and one called klutz means you can't use your weapon properly."

"There's a few more too," Nilus explained as Maelys looked to struggle with everything she'd learnt. "But other people can probably explain them better than us. Basically, ask me if it's anything related to black magic, while Rikku if it's anything that can be inflicted by items."

Maelys nodded and folded her arms, glaring up at the two Al Bhed. "You said about weapons. When can I get one? I want to get rid of the bad man for what he did."

Rikku and Nilus both exchanged a nervous glance. "We'll get you one later." Rikku smiled, crouching down to the same height. "But you need to get accustomed to a weapon first. Nilus and I both trained for a long time to use ours."

"Fine." Maelys pouted, glaring out of the window. She wanted a weapon now, something she could use to get her revenge. They just didn't trust her 'cause she was little, just like everyone else.

"Alright, we're at Besaid now," Nilus said as he glanced out of the window. "Let's set down and get to the village, and hope that _you_-" he looked pointedly at Rikku, "-haven't caused complete mayhem."

* * *

As they exited the ship and walked along the golden shores of Besaid, Rikku and Nilus both felt like something was wrong. The ocean's normally loud crashing waves seemed quieter than before, and the air smelt stale... it was like everything was pretending to be normal, and badly at that.

"Huh, this beach _sucks_," Maelys remarked, glaring pointedly at the sand. "If I wanted something this disappointing, I would have stayed in my jail cell."

Both Al Bhed couldn't help but feel pity for the girl. No doubt she'd been like every other girl her age until she was thrown in prison – who knew how much a year confined in a cell could change a child?

"Be thankful for it." Nilus glanced at her. "You need to remember how different this place is to your own. Everything now is only just rebuilding. We're a thousand years ahead of your time in age, but a thousand behind in progress."

Maelys looked up at him, considering his words and delivering a summary as only a ten year old could. "That's _stupid_."

Rikku shrugged. "Maybe it is." She looked ahead, noticing a flan sliding along the beach, leaving a sticky trail of sand behind it. That in itself was something – the beach was always a safe haven; for whatever reason, fiends never went onto the beach itself. Something was definitely wrong in Besaid.

"So let's see what you can do," Rikku suggested as she pointed towards the flan. "Those things are usually weak to magic, so show it what you got!"

Maelys puckered out her bottom lip, glaring up at Rikku in annoyance and boredom. With an exaggerated shrug she turned back to the flan, secretly feeling a rush of adrenaline surging through her veins. She might not be able to beat up the bad man yet, but a flan could definitely train her up. She crouched slightly, moving her feet apart and turned her body slightly to the side, defending while being able to attack. The flan stopped slithering and noticed her, letting out a noise resembling a cackle.

"Stupid flan," Maelys grumbled, bringing a hand up to her head. She growled and flicked her hand, focusing on power she felt coursing through her veins.

"Psybeam!" she grunted, forcing a blinding purple beam of energy to shoot from her palm, cutting into the flan and leaving a steaming hole in its body. The flan growled in response, causing Maelys to scream and leap forwards as the ground underneath her suddenly erupted in a watery explosion.

Gaining her footing, Maelys focused and fired another psybeam at the flan, jumping away from another explosion of water. She leapt forwards, thinking the flan could only use magic, and went to punch the creature, only for her hand to get stuck in its gooey body. It chortled at her careless mistake before it reared back and smashed its skull into hers, knocking her from its body and across the beach.

Growling again, Maelys fired psybeam after psybeam, knocking the creature further and further back, stopping only when she saw the pyreflies flying away from the creature, its remains nothing more than empty air.

She dropped her hands to her knees, panting heavily until she heard the applause from behind her, coming from both Al Bhed.

"Looks like you learnt the main lesson of combat," Nilus said as a smirk crossed his face. "Never underestimate your foe. Everything can attack at close range. You're quite speedy," he noted as she stood back up. "High mana reserves, about average magic powers and defences... you're basically a stereotypical mage."

Maelys glowered at him. "So? What does it matter what I can and can't do?" She put her hands on her hips, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

"It helps me decide what weapon to give you," Nilus remarked, causing her arrogance to disappear instantly. "If you want a weapon, you need one that suits you. We can't very well give you a two hundred pound broadsword now, can we?"

Rikku giggled, swatting him on the arm. "C'mon, be nice. Now Maelys, since we know what you can do, how about we actually head to the village? I'm sure you'll like it."

Maelys let her arms drop, and stared towards the trees lining the forest. "Fine," she conceded, hiding the fact she was actually secretly looking forwards to seeing this world's Besaid.

* * *

As opposed to the normal everyday feel of contentment Besaid gave off, they found themselves walking into somewhere that felt cold and barren, even with the people walking around. Rikku bit her lip in worry as Nilus frowned and Maelys stared in concealed wonder.

"Something's wrong," Nilus whispered, loud enough for only Rikku to hear.

"I know." She nodded, glancing around apprehensively. "Yunie!" she cried as she saw her cousin leave her hut, causing her to walk towards them.

Something was off though.

Normally Yuna had an air of bliss about her, like she was on cloud nine for now and forever. However, everything about her seemed force, like she was working on autopilot.

"Yunie?" Rikku questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"Rikku," Yuna responded blankly, blinking at her. "Nilus." She nodded at the man. Her face stopped at Maelys, and her whole body froze, seemingly going into a state of shock.

"Yunie, what's wrong?" Rikku asked, pressing a hand gently on her shoulder. "Your eyes are all blank... where's Tidus and your baby? Where's everyone else?"

Yuna wasn't listening. She was staring at Maelys, who was glaring back up at her, unwilling to show fear. Suddenly Yuna stood bolt upright, and glared vehemently at the two adults.

"You _dare_ bring the child to this place?"

Rikku and Nilus were in shock, to say the least. Yuna's words came out as pure venom – a far cry from her usually soft tones.

"Yuna, what's wrong?" Nilus attempted to speak with her, reaching towards her gently. "You're really starting to scare me..."

Suddenly Yuna pulled a pistol from her belt and aimed it at them, causing them to freeze in their places. The only reason Maelys didn't attack was because it seemed Rikku and Nilus knew her, and that this wasn't her normal attitude.

"Do. Not. Move," Yuna demanded, clicking the safety off her weapon. She lifted her free hand and pressed to fingers into her mouth, blowing out a shrill whistle into the calm air.

The very same whistle that was hers and Tidus' promise now caused the entirety of Besaid to stop in their tracks before they began moving towards the four of them, progressing like a crowd of zombies with Yuna as their leader.

"Give us the child," Yuna growled, waving her pistol threateningly.

"Yuna, what's going on?" Nilus demanded, glancing between faces in the crowd. Tidus, Wakka, the Aurochs, they were all wearing the same blank stare, eyes hollow but burning with fury, all aiming towards Maelys. "Explain!" he growled, stepping in front of the girl. His hand flew up, fire dancing from his fingertips as he held it in Yuna's face.

She looked at the fire unflinchingly, and down to the girl behind him. Rikku was too shocked to move, but could see how hard pressed Nilus was to keep his focus in maintaining the flames at Yuna's peril.

"She is a wanted criminal," Yuna drawled, moving her pistol to Nilus' chest. "And you are aiding her." She moved her finger on the trigger, giving Nilus barely enough time to wrap his hand around the gun and move it upwards, flinching as it fired a bullet mere millimetres from his face.

"Yunie what the _hell_ are you doing?!" Rikku snarled, now feeling able to move. She leapt at her cousin, smacking the weapon from her hand. In one fluid movement she yelped and ducked as Wakka's blitzball suddenly hurtled at her, and she winced as she heard a tree behind her snap in two.

_So quickly, everyone's turning against us._ She found herself thinking. _And that tree could have been my head! There's only one option left..._

She glanced at Nilus, indicating her plan with her eyes. He followed her train of sight, and nodded morosely as he caught onto her plan.

"Yunie..." Rikku whispered, "I'm sorry." With all her might she punched the woman in her solar plexus and threw her back into the crowd, giving her enough time to pull a smoke bomb from her pouch.

"Cover your nose!" Nilus hissed not moments before Rikku threw the bomb, sending a black cloud of sulphurous smoke billowing out over the village.

"Run!" Rikku elected as she grabbed Maelys by the arm and sprinted from the village, giving the girl no time to complain. Nilus quickly grabbed the other arm and they fled for their lives away from their home, wondering just what had happened.

* * *

"That... wasn't Yunie..." Rikku panted as they arrived back on the beach, now able to see the crimson paint of the Celsius. "She's never... _never_ like that."

"There's something wrong with this place," Nilus whispered as he took a few steps forwards, glancing at the Celsius. "Something's gone wrong with everyone."

"But where were Buddy and Brother?" Rikku asked as she glanced over Maelys and to Nilus. "They weren't in the crowd..."

"Neither was Lu," Nilus shrugged. "Who knows where they are?"

He looked away, though quickly followed Maelys's sight as she gasped and pointed towards the Celsius. From the deck, two figures suddenly leapt, landing heavily in the sand before them. They stood as one, clicking their necks in unison as they glared at the three.

"Brother... Buddy..." Rikku whispered in horror, feeling her heart shatter completely.

"Give us the girl," Brother demanded, taking a menacing step towards them.

"Brother, no!" Rikku shrieked, and could only watch in horror as he began to attack. Buddy suddenly crept behind her and restrained her arms, leaving her to only thrash in protest as she had to watch her own Brother try to kill them. As hard as she flailed and screamed, she couldn't escape until everything exploded in a haze of red and black. And then, nothing.

* * *

**Trivia:**

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Trophy Unlocked: **_none  
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_**And so, it seems nothing can ever be normal, can it? Has everyone in Besaid gone mad?**

**Thanks for the favourites and reviews, they're all much appreciated!!**

**To be continued...  
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	6. Knowledge is Power

**(Chapter 06; Knowledge is Power)**

Everything seemed to be happening in a blurry haze. Sights blurred together, pyreflies danced distantly within the dark caverns and the far-off echo of fiends assaulted the otherwise quiet dark.

_We always wondered what it was like to die... what the Farplane truly looked like. I couldn't help but think I'd become a fiend... the sheer cold and hollow feelings that permeated through me._

Letting out a groan and pressing a hand to his head, Nilus blinked blearily, squinting to focus. He sat up heavily, feeling around to find a wall to lean against when a pair of gentle hands eased him up, the figure hiding behind his blurry vision and in the dark.

"Hmprh?" he grunted unintelligibly, attempting to distinguish the figure. "...Rikku?"

"Not quite," the figure answered in a composed female's voice. "It doesn't exactly bode well for our situation if you can only manage a few barely coherent grunts."

Nilus blinked again, surprise hitting him. He _knew_ that voice... that constant sarcasm and backhanded compliments. "Lulu?" he asked tentatively, rubbing his eyes into focus. Sure enough, the woman was stood before him, slightly dirty and dusty, and only a few strands of hair out of place. Otherwise, she looked completely composed, though some level of distress danced in her eyes.

"Lu," Nilus gasped breathlessly, wrapping his arms around her. "It's so good to see a friendly face!" He stood for a moment, happy to find a friendly embrace. "Yuna... she's," he started hesitantly, grasping for words. "She's..."

"I know," Lulu whispered, her red eyes turning watery as she looked at the floor. "The whole village is the same. They ambushed me in my hut." She turned away, wrapping her arms around herself as she stared at the cavern walls. "They were all the same. They couldn't indoctrinate me, so they forced me into coming here." She closed her eyes and barely managed to contain the hiccup in her voice. "Wakka... he'd given Vidina over to whoever's in control. I was told if I fought, they'd... they'd kill him!" Her eyes streamed with tears, and the woman found all her composure dying like the sun in a night's sky.

"Lulu..." Nilus whispered, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "We'll find Vidina, and get him back unharmed, I promise." He frowned, glancing around the dark cavern. "But first... I don't suppose you know where we are? Or where Rikku is?"

Lulu nodded, stopping as she rubbed at her eyes with a long sleeve. "Brother and Buddy dropped her in here with you. There was also another person with them – a young girl with purple hair?" She turned round and looked in confusion at him for a moment, wondering how much he knew.

He nodded. "That's Maelys. She's..." he trailed off, attempting to find his words. "She claims she's from Zanakand." Lulu's sudden intake of breath was the only sound that followed in the tense silence. "She claims she got here by some sort of portal... she's also got some strange sort of magic that I've never seen before." He frowned again. "There's something going on here, but my explanations won't do it justice."

Lulu nodded folding her arms again. "Very well. I suppose we'll see when they wake."

Nilus agreed, and as if on cue Rikku suddenly rushed towards them, grinning wildly and throwing her arms around them both. "Guys!" she cried, her smile brightening up the dank darkness. "It's so good to see you both!" She pulled herself off them and began bouncing around the room, her eyes scanning every surface. "So do you guys know where we are? Or have _anything_ on you? Bro-" she hiccupped on her words, unable to finish the sentence. Her own brother had done this... she couldn't bear to let the reality consume her. "They took my weapons, my items... _everything!"_ She glanced around, biting her lip as she folded her arms. "I found Maelys too, I brought her with me, but she's still not awake.

"I guess we let her sleep," she continued, throwing a glance to her right, where the girl was leant against a wall, obviously still unconscious. "Poor kid's been here less than a day, and already she's been in the Omega Ruins, struggled with a flan, and now this."

"Omega Ruins?" Lulu whispered in alarm, her eyes widening slightly. She shook her head moments after, letting out a soft sigh. "Regardless, I do not have any possessions on me. All my items, charms and weapons are in my hut... but now, I suppose they've all been taken."

Glancing around himself, Nilus let out a deep growl. "Everything of mine's been taken too. Smart," he grunted, folding his arms. "Lock us in here and remove our weapons, make sure if we try to escape we're gonna have a hard time."

"They forget that there are two mages locked down here," Lulu whispered, fire burning in her eyes. "We also have the skills of a thief, and the power you have mentioned in your young friend. When we make our escape, they shall rue the day they ever tried to harm me, _or_ my family."

Rikku gulped down a yelp, pressing a hand onto Lulu's arm. "But remember! They're still our friends!" She looked sideways, her face flashing with the briefest instant of pain. "We can't hurt them."

"I agree," said Lulu, turning to face her. "But whoever is behind this will pay dearly," she swore, her nails digging deeply into the fabric of her dress. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself for the moment. "Now, as for the present; we are locked within the cave that Wakka and Chappu used to play in. I believe you located Wakka in here some time ago?" She let the question answer itself as she paced around the cavern. "There are cage bars approximately ten feet down the nearest corridor, trapping us in. It's also what's keeping all the fiends away from us. When your friend wakes up, we can think of how we are going to escape." She stopped pacing, staring at them both. "Now, would you mind telling me everything you know about this young girl?"

* * *

It was the first time that Wakka had ever outright ignored his son. The cold air that hung around him scared the young child, and alone in the temple he cried to himself.

"Daddy!" Vidina wailed, hugging his knees. His plea fell on empty ears as the man continued to stand guard outside his room, leaving him alone within the usually safe temple walls.

Now however, they were anything but.

"Quiet child!" the armoured figure hissed, stabbing the child with a wooden pole. Vidina wailed and barely contained a sob as the man continued to glare, his eyes glowing red underneath his helmet.

"Be very aware child, your survival is only assured as long as I can use your mother's power. Once her spirit is broken, her power shall be mine! And you, shall be no more," he said almost happily, each word coming out with a happy skip. Vidina hiccupped again and silently begged for his mother and father to be back with him, for everything to be normal again.

However, it was plainly obvious nothing would ever be the same again.

* * *

Maelys groaned, alerting everyone to her consciousness. The three adults gently surrounded her, supporting her as she found herself returning to the world.

"My head..." she grunted, placing a hand heavily against her head. "It hurts..."

"It'll go away in a few moments," Rikku reassured her, gently easing the girl to her feet. "The more you get knocked out, the less you feel the pain."

"_That's_ reassuring," Nilus grunted, fighting a smirk. "It gets better the more you get beaten up." He rolled his eyes and placed a hand gently on the girl's shoulder. "Maelys, this is Lulu." He motioned to the woman, who nodded with a gentle smile on her face. "She's a friend of ours."

"Like that other woman?" Maelys grunted sharply, causing both Rikku and Nilus to flinch. "If she's like that, I'll go fight the mean man on my own."

Lulu however just smiled, crouching down to eye level with the girl. "Hello Maelys," she said in a motherly tone. "I can assure you I'm nothing like everyone you saw before. They put me in here because they couldn't control me, which is undoubtedly why you're in here too."

Maelys looked away, glaring harshly at Rikku and Nilus. "_I'm _here because _they_ wouldn't fight their friends." Both Al Bhed paled in guilty shock. "Are you here because you're weak like them?"

A sudden cold surrounded the cavern, and Maelys suddenly got the feeling she'd overstepped the mark. "_I'm _here because they threatened to kill my son if I fought," Lulu said in a biting tone, making Maelys understand instantly that she was not a woman to cross. "Sometimes, it is best not to fight, merely to let something happen, and then plan your movements." She stood up, looking pointedly at the girl. "Rest assured, we _will_ get out of here. Until then, we will plan our course of action."

Nodding in humble silence, Maelys looked apologetically at them all. "Can I help?" she asked meekly.

"Give me a demonstration of your powers," Lulu responded. "After that, we can form a plan."

Mumbling her acceptance, Maelys closed her eyes and concentrated on the familiar feeling at her core. Purple mana began to pulse around her, and in one flick of her wrist she shot a laser-thin beam of energy at a nearby wall, shattering a large portion of it.

"Interesting," said Lulu, taking a step closer to her. "Now, close your eyes and focus," she advised as she placed her hands on either side of the girl's head. "You may feel my mind probing, do not resist it. I am merely attempting to evaluate the limits of your power."

A tense silence followed, filled by Nilus and Rikku sharing a worried look. What if they couldn't save their friends? Would they be forced to harm them? It really did seem as if the Eternal Calm was being threatened again.

"Interesting," Lulu repeated as she stood up, closing her eyes for a brief moment. As she opened them she looked at Nilus and Rikku both, keeping Maelys within her field of vision. "It's a rare form of magic known as Psychic magic. Magic revolves around controlling something with your mind; black magic allows you to control the elements, while white and arcane both allow you to alter the physical state of a being.

"Psychic magic, however," she continued, glancing at Maelys, "is a more powerful form of magic. It allows to user to control almost anything they can think of. A powerful psychic mage can alter someone's state of mind, as well as distort reality enough to teleport themselves."

"Wow," Nilus whistled in awe. "So Maelys, we'll head out as soon as you're ready, so make sure you're up to speed before we leave." He walked towards the nearest wall and leant against it, staring up at the ceiling. "Battle basics and all that; we want to make sure you know what you're doing in a fight."

Maelys nodded and watched as Lulu walked over to a corner and stood silently, while Rikku remained by her side, bouncing with sudden optimism.

"How can you be so happy?" she grunted, watching as the Al Bhed grinned and bounced on her tiptoes. "We're locked in a cave."

"Simple." Rikku grinned, flashing a full set of pearly-whites. "We'll get out, and get our friends back. If you don't look on the bright side of everything, then you're going to end up unhappy and miserable."

Maelys frowned. "But if you always expect the worst, you can never be let down."

"Maybe," Rikku shrugged. "But I can't help being optimistic, it's just how I cope!" She bounced around again, looking further into the cavern. "Since we've got no items now, I should explain a few things to you. Fiends will drop loot, which we can sell off for money. It's about the only way to make money, unless you're lucky and the fiend is carrying weapons or accessories."

Maelys blinked, her amber eyes set in complete confusion. "Why would fiends carry weapons? It didn't make sense to her. What use would the likes of a flan have with a sword?

"Oh, right," Rikku said to herself, turning around with a sombre giggle. "You see, fiends used to be human. When we die, our spirit gets sent to the Farplane. But sometimes, if a person hates the living enough, they become a fiend. Their only thoughts are on killing the living, making them suffer the early death that continually plagues them."

She let out a soft sigh, twirling her hair around a finger. "It's sad really, to think that someone could hate so much. But occasionally, a fiend will retain traces of it's humanity. When it does, it can control the pyreflies into forming a weapon, an accessory, armour, sometimes even potions or ethers." She shrugged, bouncing on her heels again as she looked at the pyreflies floating around within the cavern walls. "They can't use them, obviously, but it makes you wonder; how many of the fiends we've killed actually retained some humanity? The only thing is, the items can only be stolen off them; which is where I'm in my element!" She grinned again, rubbing her hands together mischievously. "Lulu and Nilus might be able to blast fiends away with elements, but I can steal their very limbs from underneath them!"

"That's really about all I can tell you now," Rikku admitted, scratching at a cheek. "I might be able to explain more when we have access to items and weapons again." She shrugged, smiling before she ruffled Maelys' hair. "Talk to Lu or Nilus, they can explain a few other things to you too."

Maelys nodded, walking away from the bubbly woman and towards her polar opposite; the composed and nearly regal Lulu. Her red eyes seemed to pierce through the darkness, analysing every shadow for a potential threat. The girl coughed meekly, aiming to gain Lulu's attention.

"I'm... sorry," the girl apologised hastily, avoiding looking the mage in the eyes. "About before, I didn't know."

Surprising her, Lulu smiled and glanced down at her. "Don't apologise for who you are. Whether this anger fed through you before your ordeal or not, it is a part of you now. As long as you don't let emotion rule you, and maintain a cool head, you will be able to find this man upon whom you seek revenge."

Maelys stood in shocked silence, finding her words caught in her throat. "I thought you would try to talk me out of revenge," she admitted, poking at the ground with a shoe. "Nilus and Rikku have both told me about you; they said you've always looked after them both."

Lulu smiled softly, a smile born from pride and amusement. "I see them both as my family, and I always look after my family." She stopped and looked and Maelys again. "As for your revenge; it is not my place to advise you. I understand completely your reasoning, but the path to your goal will teach you more than my words ever could."

Maelys stood in silent wonder, her mouth slightly agape. She couldn't help but admire her, marvelling at how smart this woman truly was. She frowned, not liking to ask for help. "What can you tell me for our battles?"

Lulu shook her head, rubbing her temples gently. "Every fiend has strengths and weaknesses, much like we do. However, a fiend's weaknesses can be categorised into state and element. State is their physical and magical resistance. Fiends like flan resist physical assaults, yet are weak to magical attacks. Canine fiends, however, are the reverse. You must remember these basics to succeed."

Placing her hand before her, she concentrated and formed a small ball of fire in her palm, staring distantly at the blaze. "Elements are simpler, in a way. They come in pairs, for example, fire is effective against ice, and ice against fire. The other couples are water and lightning, and wind and earth. All fiends have elemental attributes, the general rule of thumb is look at the environment surrounding the fiend, as well as the colour. A fiend in the desert is likely to resist fire and water, while a yellow fiend usually will be attributed to lightning."

She closed her palm, basking the cavern in dark once more. "I'm sure you shall be travelling with Nilus and Rikku, so be sure to listen to their advice. Nilus is likely to know this all, as he is also a mage." She stopped, sweeping round and crouching down to eye level with Maelys. "Your powers are psychic in nature, so remember this; the smarter the fiend, the more resistant it is likely to be to your attacks. A creature with a hive mind shall be very vulnerable, whereas if there are multiple minds, it shall be resistant."

She stood silently, watching the distant corridor with piercing eyes. "It might seem strange to think it now, but everything shall become rather easy to recollect, even in the midst of battle. Once you feel confident in your own abilities, and trust your team mates implicitly, there will be almost no battles you cannot win." She smiled, staring at the two Al Bhed in the cavern, who would exchange a grin every so often. "I believe that is why Rikku and Nilus have survived so long as fiend hunters. Most teams quit or perish within the first few months; they have managed it for nearly two years now."

Maelys stood in silent wonder for another minute before realising Lulu had finished. She mumbled her thanks and moved away, walking towards Nilus, who waved as he saw her approach.

"Hey kid," he greeted softly, lifting his head to meet her gaze. "Garnered enough info off those two yet?"

Maelys bit her lip, glancing at them both. "They taught me exactly what I'd find out myself after a few battles." She stood her ground adamantly, able to prove that she didn't need anyone's help.

"Maybe," Nilus shrugged in agreement. "But the advice of a friend can often help you a lot in a battle. Your mother taught you about battle, did she not? We're doing much the same; making sure you know how to protect yourself should the worst ever come to the worst."

Maelys dropped her head, remembering her mother. She did teach her basic battle just for those reasons... and now she was rejecting the offers from these people here... undoubtedly her only friends in a foreign world.

"Remember this when battling though; fiends are always stronger when fighting with their own." Nilus' words cut through the empty silence, bringing Maelys to instant attention. "Dogs hunt in packs, rather like fiends. If a group of lupine fiends attack, they know how the other fiends work, and so can coordinate their attacks brilliantly. However, if you fought one with a flan and an elemental, it would be significantly easier to defeat." He smiled, blowing the hair from his face. "It's the same with people; we can fight better with people we know and trust. If you're fighting with someone you've just met, you're not going to battle as well as you could."

Maelys frowned, scratching at her arm. "So I should always make sure to attack fiends when they are without their own kind."

"Pretty much," Nilus confirmed. "Sometimes fiends might attack each other, be it for territory, or even for survival. A bird-type fiend might get distracted and try to eat an insect in the middle of battle. You should always go into battle considering these factors. Of course, sometimes you may end up being ambushed, and you won't really have much choice in what you're fighting."

"That's it for now," Nilus said as he pushed himself off the wall. "Everything else can be explained after we get the cretin that's doing this to our friends." He looked away, nodding at both Rikku and Lulu before returning his focus to Maelys. "We've told you what you need to know. Whenever you're ready, we're going to go save Besaid."

Maelys stood in silence for a moment, feeling Lulu and Rikku both walk up and stand beside her. Really, she knew she shouldn't care about this backwater village. They'd taught her the basics of what she needed to know about living in this world; she could easily run off, find her goal and exact her revenge.

But something kept her here. Be it an attachment to this idealic island, or even a feeling of belonging with her friends, she felt compelled to help them, to save what they called their friends and their home.

She looked up, offering a smile. "I'm ready."

Whoever was controlling Besaid was going to suffer for what they were doing.

Little did they know, they were playing right into his hands.

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Trivia:**

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Trophy Unlocked: **_none  
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_**Well...undoubtedly, this is mucho filler. Sorry about that, but I can't help it! I'm trying to explain everything the way they would if it were being played through as a game, and this is the best way to portray it! Rest assured, next chapter shall be well worth the wait!  
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**To be continued...**


	7. The Calm's Cost

**(Chapter 07; The Calm's Cost)**

Spira constantly found itself in a continual spin of war. There would be peace for some time, then endless fights, resolve, and then, it would start again.

Spirals themed the world, thus why it had been coined 'Spira' eons ago. Each time a spiral was severed, it would curve into another band, continuing the spiral, but at a graver price.

Though what could possibly be worse than this?

Rikku glanced down the hallway, nervous sweat beading on her forehead as she tried to work the lock on the cage doors. They may have taken her equipment, but the thief kept her hair together with a brilliant tool; hair pins. Overlooked by the guards, she bit her bottom lip as she plucked one out and straightened it, quickly setting to work on the offending locking mechanisms.

"Thirty seconds left," whispered Lulu hastily, her eyes constantly focused on the narrow passage behind the cage. Given that the door had been built so far along the corridor leading to the cave's dead end, she couldn't help but wonder; just how many people were they planning on keeping here?

"I know!" Rikku hissed in hushed tones. "This isn't as easy as it looks you know?!" She felt a growl continually building up in the back of her throat while she tried to keep her hand from shaking. Just a few moments more and, "Got it!" she exclaimed in a whisper, jumping up instantly and attempting to look innocent.

Not a moment too soon.

Footsteps echoed down towards them, and the shape of Buddy quickly became visible to the two women. He walked robotically; each step the same distance and with the same methodical precision. Hidden beneath the goggles on his face were his eyes, which were more than certain to be the same soulless orbs as everyone else infected. He walked up to the cage and stood before the gate, looking slowly at Lulu and Rikku.

And that was when Nilus made his move.

He suddenly flipped down from above, grabbed hold of the cage poles and kicked the door swinging through into Buddy. There was a sickening crunch as the door impacted, and the man flew a good few feet before coming to an unmoving heap on the floor.

"Sorry Buddy," Nilus whispered as he skulked up to him and checked his vitals. He glanced backwards and rubbed his arms pointedly. "You know holding yourself on the ceiling is a _lot_ harder than it looks."

"So?" Rikku shot him a glare before motioning for Maelys to come out from the shadows. "It worked, job done. Now let's get this over with so that everyone can go back to normal."

"Whatever." Nilus rolled his eyes and looked back at Buddy, patting down his pockets quickly. "Damn! No weapons whatsoever!"

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Lulu looked at him with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "Place him in the cage; we know it's safe from fiends in there."

Maelys looked darkly at the man as Nilus picked him up. "Why should we bother? He's the one who put us in here in the first place."

The dark look Rikku shot her was rivalled only by the level-stare from Lulu. "He is not himself. Would you like us to leave you to the fiends if you become indoctrinated?"

Silence met her.

"I thought so." The mage looked away and shook her head, nodding as she noticed Nilus return. "Good, now remember; their eyes are the key. If they have hollow eyes; they're indoctrinated. Also-" she spared a quick glance backwards, "-you are aware of the zombie status condition?"

They nodded.

"You become infected and randomly attack anything in your sight. And each attack you make can spread the ailment," Nilus clarified, folding his arms and looking extremely impatient.

"Correct." Lulu closed her eyes and turned away again. "As far as I can tell, this indoctrination seems the same. A simple touch spreads the influence; I can only assume that there was some plan for all of us, given our current well-being."

"So quick, quiet, and don't touch anyone until we cream the guy behind it all." Rikku took a step forwards and pounded her fists together. "Got it." She felt a tear trickle down her face as she looked away from the cage and towards the exit of the caverns. "Let's just hope it's as easy as it sounds."

* * *

Saeleos smirked as his eyes gleamed a harsh red. It was always nice when everything planned out so well. All it took was a prod here and a poke there, and he could manipulate even the strongest people.

He looked down, sneering at Tidus, who stood statuesque by the doors, hand on sword and waiting for a threat. "Go to the village and act normal," he commanded, watching with restrained distaste as the blonde nodded and walked out of the room.

Everything had become so easy since he acquired this power, Saeleos mused. That long year while he had Maelys locked up had served to strengthen them both. A pity that he was trying to weaken her. But now, it didn't matter – he had a whole new world of powers to plunder.

And hers was the icing on the cake.

Letting out a soft laugh, the man turned around and stared at the throne he had created within the Chamber of the Fayth. The large cavernous hole was fun to push people down, he had found. But now was not a time for aimless amusement.

He had spirits to break.

* * *

Rikku growled as she rolled away from the lupine, sweeping out her leg in a vicious kick as she righted herself. Of course the fiends would attack them when they were weaponless.

And of course, they would have to be resilient to magic.

She flipped backwards as it charged again, only for its snout to meet Nilus' boot. He kicked the fiend with enough force to send it flying at Lulu, who calmly slapped the fiend away with the back of her hand.

Meanwhile, Maelys struggled to keep the glistening fangs of another from closing around her neck. Her arms trembled with effort as she tried in vain to keep the fiend's jaws open before she decided to pull her arms in either direction. The fiend yelped as it felt its mouth being pulled both ways before a foot met the underside of its jaw, knocking it back and off the cliff.

Panting as she stood up, Maelys glared after the fallen creature. "I want a weapon." She turned away and stomped heavily on the ground, sulking at her comparative lack of battle experience.

"We all do kid," Nilus replied, sparing a glance down at her as she fell in line with him. "But think of it this way; the more practice you get fighting unarmed, the more confident you'll be in your abilities. Some fiends are intelligent enough to disarm you, you know?" He forced a smile and looked up, scanning the trees around them. "I'd rather fight a few fiends to know how to fight unarmed than wish I knew how to at the worst moment."

"But you _know_ how to fight unarmed," Maelys countered, staring up at him.

"Years of training kid," he retorted smoothly. "I've spent the past two years hunting fiends for work. And for fun," he conceded with a shrug. "Point is, if I didn't have that experience, I'd probably struggle to beat a _moogle_ in a fist-fight."

Hearing the expression, Rikku couldn't help but let out a sharp laugh. "Really? I seem to remember two years ago; Yunie in the mascot dressphere? She whooped your butt constantly!" A grin appeared on her face at the memory, causing a small smirk on Lulu's and a blush on Nilus'. Maelys however, just looked confused.

"What's a 'dressphere'?" she asked, looking back towards Rikku.

"A weird invention that let us become a mage or a warrior at the flick of a switch," she answered as she placed her hands behind her head. "I'll have to explain it another time; now's probably not the best time for lengthy explanations."

A scowl appeared on Maelys' face as she turned around, glaring at the floor and obviously sulking. "No one tells me anything..." she grumbled, burning the dirt with the intensity of her glare.

"We're nearly there," Lulu said suddenly as she stopped, staring at the familiar statue looking over the village. "Hm," she grunted in amusement, staring at the statue with a curious expression. "All that custom to pray here for safe passage... we've forgotten so much of our customs since the calm began..." She looked away, and placed a hand on her head as she sighed. "Could this be our punishment for forgetting them?"

"Who knows?" Nilus asked as he leant down on the fence, staring towards the village below. "No summoning, no Sendings... only the older generation pray to the ancient summoners now... but surely it's been done before, right?" he asked as he glanced backwards, looking from Lulu to Maelys. "What religion did everyone worship in your time kid?"

Maelys switched her gaze from the statue to him, and then to the sky. "The goddess..." she whispered, placing both hands over her heart. "She looks over everyone and granted them their abilities. She told the priests of the Farplane, and taught them to Send, and took power away from the bad people." She closed her eyes and frowned as she shook her head. "I'm not sure," she conceded, glancing again towards the statue. "No one sees her; who says she's real? Anyone could create religion."

Yet again, Rikku felt pity sweep through her. A year being locked in a prison really must have changed the girl; she couldn't help but wonder what she was like before the trauma.

"C'mon," she said as she stepped forwards, her hands nervously playing with the zipper on her jacket. "Let's save the philosophy for when we get everyone back." A nervous giggle escaped her lips as she dropped her head before taking a deep breath. "Alright, Sin? Check. Vegnagun? Check. Now, let's go show 'em what we're made of!"

* * *

Besaid always had a beautiful, serene feel to it.

Now it felt as eerie as the Farplane depths themselves.

There was no noise, no people... just _nothing_. Everything was still present in the village, save for everyone and everything that was meant to live in it. The four of them walked through the centre of the village, each on guard for any potential threat.

"I remember them taking Vidina into the temple," Lulu said as she watched the building. "If I had to guess, he's still there, alongside Kimmy."

"And possibly a few guards too," Nilus grunted in displeasure. "This whole thing screams 'trap'. They're most likely bundled in the Chamber of the Fayth too." He smirked sardonically as they made the first few steps up the stairs. "After all, when is _anything_ going to fall in the favour of the good?"

"Such is the way of life."

The ethereal voice sounded all around them; it's tones significantly upper class and somewhat similar to the ancient scholars, in fact, at first they thought a young Maechen had appeared.

Maelys however, recognised the soft, evil tones of the voice instantly. "Mean man..." she growled, her eyes flashing a horrible amalgamation of yellow and amber. "Show yourself!" she barked in a surprisingly loud voice, causing even the three adults with her to jump despite themselves.

"My, how you've grown," the voice whispered condescendingly around them. "You still wish your revenge? You failed the first time, did you not?" A laugh echoed all around them, and Maelys felt her cheeks heating up in a mixture of shame and fury. "Very well. Let's see how you fare in take two."

The voice stopped, and suddenly Saeleos simply _appeared_ before them. No flashy tricks, no hum of pyreflies... he was just there when a moment before he wasn't. As the girl's face creased into a picture of pure hatred, the others were treated to their first sight of the man.

His left side was covered completely in silver armour, complete with a helmet with a serrated visor. His right, however, was exposed, the armour held on by various straps over his body. A long, black robe flowed over his body, leaving his torso exposed, closing only over his waist. It flared out over his legs, flapping gently in the wind. Over the wrist was a black gauntlet shaped like a spider, with piercing red eyes and sharp looking fangs. Around his waist was a deep crimson sash, and black pants covered his free leg, adorned with a symbol of Zanarkand. On his feet were large silver boots with spikes adorning the sides of the foot, and two small wings on the back of each.

Two beige straps kept his helmet on; one above and below his eye socket. Short, unkempt jet black hair adorned his head, and over his ear it was braided into a sharp, pointed 's'. Both his eyes were a piercing red, though the left shone beneath the visor, making it seem infinitely more haunting. They could make out the points of a weapon on his back, but were unable to see the full thing, able to only discern it was very, very sharp.

Uttering a deep growl, Maelys made to rush the man, stopped only by Rikku at the last moment, who quickly reached out and pulled her back. "Don't!" she warned quickly, her eyes dancing with trepidation. "Who knows what he's hiding there! Never rush in blindly!" She nodded as Maelys returned the gesture reluctantly before straightening and glowering at Saeleos. "So... you're the creep that's turned our friends against us, huh?" she spat, advancing a step towards him.

"I suppose," Saeleos retorted nonchalantly, lifting a hand and examining his fingernails. "It's not my fault they were weak-minded." A smug laugh escaped his lips as everyone's expressions darkened. "In fact-" he lifted a hand, "-why not say 'hello'?"

He snapped his fingers, and instantly people flooded out from the huts, from the forest, and from outside the village. The formed a perfect semi-circle behind Saeleos, covering the exit of the village and effectively sealing them in. Among the crowd however, they couldn't see the faces of Brother, Yuna, Tidus or Wakka, though all the Aurochs were present and sharing the emotionless expression.

"Oh dear," Saeleos said dramatically, holding a hand to his mouth and laughing. "It seems your actual friends aren't here. Where could they be? Waiting to ensure you can't leave the island? Or could they be in the temple, with the children, I wonder?"

At that, Lulu's pupils narrowed to slits. "If you have harmed my child-"

"You'll what?" he interrupted, a maniacal smile etched over his face. "Hurt me? What's to say that would do any good? I mean-" he spread his arms out and spun around fully, taking in everyone in the crowd. "Who's to say hurting me will release these people? In fact, killing me could actually kill them too!" He let out a maddened laugh which everyone in the crowd quickly echoed, creating a haunting orchestra of morbidity.

"Lulu," Nilus spoke evenly, taking a step forwards without looking back. "Take Maelys and look for the kids. We'll hold off everyone here."

Rikku nodded, clenching her fists and dropping into a fighting stance. "Trust us on this." She winked at Maelys before focusing her glare forwards. "We'll make sure there's something left for you."

"But-" Maelys started in retort. She felt Lulu's hand gently touch her shoulder and relented. "_Fine,_" she growled. "I'll do it this one time, only because you helped me. Next time, I'll get my revenge." She glared once more at Saeleos before whirling round and running with Lulu into the temple.

"Yes, do run!" Saeleos called after them, standing on his tiptoes and waving. "Who knows what's awaiting you? Now." His face darkened considerably and all humour in his voice died as he focused on Rikku and Nilus. "I think it's time we sort some things out."

* * *

The entire temple looked a complete mess. The statues of previous summoners had been pulled down or attacked, some were missing an arm, a leg, even a head. Lulu could only see the remains of High Summoner Ohalland's feet remaining – everything else was hidden somewhere.

It was truly a sorry state.

"Why wouldn't they let me fight?" Maelys grunted, taking in the disastrous state of the temple. "He locked _me_ in prison, I want _my _revenge."

Lulu stopped and regarded the girl with cool indifference. "The man holds the whole of Besaid under captive, and you think he would merely let you attack with them remaining as spectators?" He scolding words made Maelys flush red and stare at the floor in shame. "He is most likely going to use the villagers as pawns – mere shields and tools to achieve his goals. If they attack, Nilus and Rikku will try their best to ensure the survival of the villagers. Would you?"

Maelys kept her gaze focused on the floor, finding a crack in the designs extremely interesting at the very moment.

"Exactly as I thought," Lulu admonished. "You must remember that conflict has repercussions somewhere, somehow. We kill fiends, which can either find peace and return to the Farplane, or the soul will feel more hatred and become stronger. Every time we fight a fiend, we do so knowing that we could be damning someone else, somewhere else, some other time." She folded her arms and regarded the girl with a level stare, knowing she sounded like a scolding mother. "You must always consider the consequences of a fight; if the positive outweighs the negative, you can proceed. If not, you escape and find another time when the results are more preferable." She stopped and placed a hand to her head, rubbing her temples softly. "If you fought now, the outcome could possibly be worst-case. If what Saeleos says is true, and his death results in the death of everyone he holds captive, then we wait until we can find a way to break his hold. If it is a bluff, then we have merely lost one opportunity."

Maelys looked up, her face stony and her mouth set in a thin line. She stood there for a moment, trying to make her words come out in an even tone. "Why are you telling me all this?" she asked in wonder. Since she'd arrived, they'd taken her under their wing and taught her about surviving in the world – she was used to the world of her Zanarkand, where people didn't give a damn about someone if it didn't affect them. "Why are you helping me?" she amended her question.

A soft smile graced Lulu's lips, and for the first time in a while, her face lightened a fraction. "Firstly, you need to know such things to survive in Spira. Secondly, you will be strong one day, and such knowledge will help you to succeed. And most importantly-" she walked over and placed a hand softly on the girl's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "No one deserves to be alone. Do not take the friendship that has been offered to you lightly; abuse it and you may find yourself completely alone in this foreign world."

The girl nodded, and her stony expression faded away, a small smile of her own appearing. "Okay." She took a step forwards and scanned the room, glancing quickly at the two side chambers on either side of the large stairs leading up to a set of heavy doors covered in symbols. "Where do we go now?"

The mage stepped alongside her, pointing towards the Trials. "We head through the inactive trials, towards the Chamber of the Fayth. However-" she looked towards either chamber, regarding them in suspicion. "It would be advisable to check the chambers first. There is every possibility that we are walking into a trap, the smartest thing to do would be to ensure we are not surprised from behind."

Maelys nodded once more, following the woman into the chamber on the right. The mage's words reverberated around in her skull constantly, making the girl second-guess her plans for leaving and seeking her own revenge. At the very least, she could stay a while longer, get stronger, then reap her reward. All it required was staying with them for a while longer.

* * *

"Ah, the fabled twosome," Saeleos said condescendingly as he placed his hands behind his back, walking back and forth in a straight line. "How I wanted to see you both in person. Though-" he stared at Nilus for a moment, squinting slightly. "I thought you'd be taller. Oh well." He shrugged dramatically before standing rigid and folding his arms. "I suppose you're wondering why I didn't take you four over like the rest. Well, your friend Lulu was too powerful, loathsome as I am to admit it." He glared at the temple behind them, knowing the woman was seeking her son to the best of her abilities. "Maelys too. But to get their powers, I cannot merely control them. I need to break them first, severe their spirit so that their powers run freely away.

"And that brings me to you two." His cold gaze focused perfectly on the Al Bhed, who remained in their defensive stances, standing guard for now. "I could take you over easily. In fact, I don't think either of you would be any trouble; if it's more than that woman Yuna, I'd be surprised. But, there's something about you two. Maelys doesn't have the power to open portals like she did by herself. She had help. And that help makes her land oh-so-conveniently with you two? Someone's setting something up here."

"And who's that gonna be then?" Nilus drawled, shifting his weight to the right. "We don't know anyone powerful enough to reach back into the past, and we sure as hell weren't left a forwarding address to contact whoever's supposedly set this all up."

"Mock all you like," Saeleos retorted. "Something set this up. Think about it for a moment; her power happens to send her precisely one thousand and four years into the future, and the first people she meets are those that aided in the defeat of Sin and Vegnagun?" Two sets of eyes widened instantly at that remark, and the man let out another laugh. "Yes, I know all about that. You see, controlling people allows me to access their memories, their thoughts, everything that makes them unique." A fanged smile appeared on his face and the eerie red glow of his eyes intensified. "I know all your weaknesses, all your strengths. And I think since you've decided to aid Maelys, I shall let you two suffer and watch as I take over this whole world! Yu Yevon be damned! He tried to take over Bevelle and failed, so I shall succeed where he could not!"

Rikku rolled her eyes, letting out a drawn out breath. "You about done now? What is it with all you loony goons that wanna take over Spira? All you do is stand there and natter constantly! And I thought Seymour was creepy and annoying..." She shook her head, taking in another deep breath. "Alright, so what're the chances if we knock him out, his control goes?"

"Who knows?" Nilus responded, a small grin appearing on his face. "Everyone else might become unconscious too... but at least we'll get some quiet from this megalomaniac." His grin faded, however, when he saw the man reach for the weapon sheathed on his back.

Saeleos' grin widened as he clutched the weapon in both hands, dropping into his own stance. It seemed to be a variation on a spear; the bottom end had a serrated circular saw attached that thankfully wasn't working at the moment. Atop, the weapon had multiple short spikes of sharp metal, and divided into a large spiked semi circle at the end, each edge containing another spike to either hook into flesh and pull, or simply to add another danger to the blade. Saeleos twisted the shaft and suddenly the saw whirred into life, while atop the weapon electricity began sparking between the two opposing spikes.

"Okay," Rikku conceded with a wince. "Maybe he's got a bit more firepower than Seymour..."

* * *

Silence hung between the two mages as they walked into the Trials. Each chamber had been empty, and had been in a similar destroyed state. It was obvious that Lulu was saddened and annoyed by the abuse of the temple, but she tried her best to remain indifferent, focusing on her goal.

And in her effort to remain calm, there was the unnerving silence between them. Maelys didn't mind silence, in fact, after spending the year locked away in the prison, it was familiar to her. She found peace in the silence, but it also reminded her of bad times, bringing back the haunting, hollow feeling that she felt everyday.

Silence was a curse and a blessing to the girl.

And so she found words escaping her mouth before she'd even registered she'd said them.

"Why did you let them fight?"

The question caught Lulu totally off guard, and she stopped walking down the stairs to turn and glance at the girl. Her raised eyebrow said the question her voice wasn't asking.

"You said you always look out for your family... but you're leaving them to fight the mean man..." She scrunched her face up in thought, tracing a hand softly over the wall. "If... if he's stronger than before... if he manages to win..." She closed her eyes and clenched a fist, hitting it against the wall. Her foot began to stomp on the ground childishly, and Lulu instantly found the girl's train of thought.

"You're worried that they might fall." It was said as a statement, not a question, though still elicited a nod from the girl. "I too am worried," she admitted, herself now tracing a glyph on the wall with a finger. "But you see, Spira is built upon a spiral of sacrifice and death. Four years ago, we were plagued by an entity known as Sin. The only way to defeat it was for a summoner to bond with the souls of beings known as Fayth, who themselves were sacrificed to eternity with their souls trapped in stone."

She let the words sit for a moment before gesturing further into the Trials. "This temple is one of such places where the soul of a Fayth was housed. The summoner would train by bonding with as many as possible, and then they would arrive in the ruins of Zanarkand-" Maelys perked up at the name of the ancient city, but Lulu ignored it and continued. "Where they would battle Sin with the goal of their training; the Final Summoning. Using it would kill the summoner, but may would sacrifice themselves for the thought of giving Spira a respite from destruction."

She sighed and began tracing the glyph again, sensing a feel of nostalgia from the halls around her. "But to get to Zanarkand, summoners would travel in a group, with people known as Guardians. A Guardian would fight to protect their summoner, even at the cost of their own life." Another sigh escaped her lips as the memories weighed down on her. "Yuna was a summoner. Nilus and Rikku were her guardians. As was I. My husband too, as well as Yuna's. Together, with two others, we travelled to Zanarkand to defeat Sin.

"That is why I can let them remain behind," she explained, dropping her arms heavily to her side. "I cannot admonish them for willing to sacrifice themselves for another, when I myself have been in a similar position. That is the real reason they made me take you," she revealed, causing the girl's head to snap up. "As experienced as they are, they realised that this man poses a severe threat, and that in fighting him, they may not return alive. But they're fighting regardless, sacrificing themselves if need be, so that I can find Vidina, and possibly Kimmy too. They made you come here so that if the worst happens; you will still be alive."

The shock hit her like a tonne of bricks, and Maelys found herself unable to speak for a good while. She moved down the stairs in numb shock, eventually gripping the railing tightly. "Why...?" she whispered, dropping her gaze to the floor. "Why would anyone give their live like that? It's _stupid_."

"Sometimes, the ultimate act of love is the sacrifice of one's life," Lulu explained, again resting a hand on Maelys' shoulder. "To sacrifice yourself so that another may live... sometimes, it makes the most sense in the world."

"Well I don't understand it!" Maelys snapped, whipping her head up and glaring at Lulu, not caring about the small traces of tears building in her eyes.

Lulu let out another sigh, walking ahead and opening another set of doors. "And I pray you never have to."

* * *

Rikku spared a nervous glance towards Nilus. "You ready?"

"Nope," he admitted with a lopsided grin.

"Great," she grunted, feeling a smile grow despite the situation. "Me neither."

And that was when Saeleos attacked.

He didn't run or move; he was just suddenly _there._ Both Al Bhed narrowly managed to bend back underneath the swipe, rolling back into an impromptu crouch as they stared at him. Another swipe came at Nilus, and reacting on instinct his arms flared up, aiming to catch the weapon. However, the fearsome spikes decorating it sliced through his hands cleanly, barely giving him a chance to jump back as a yelp escaped his lips.

Fresh blood dripped from the blade and his hands both. In the moment Rikku quickly leapt in, sweeping a leg to take out the man's legs. Her leg sped through and would have crippled a lesser foe, though Saeleos merely leapt over it, spinning and launching a leg out himself, knocking her back and into a support pillar.

Snarling, Nilus leapt forwards, putting all his weight into a blow at Saeleos' solar plexus, stunning him briefly. His arms and legs became a blur as a series of swift kicks and punches that were all nimbly avoided. He ducked under a slash from the blade and twisted, launching the man into the air with a mule kick.

From nowhere Rikku appeared, leapt at the airborne foe and bounced off him, forcing him deep into the ground.

Bursts of fire and lightning erupted into the pit, decimating the surrounding area in an attempt to injure him.

The smoke cleared and Saeleos stood there with a grin before he raised his weapon and plunged it deep into the ground. Instantly, the very earth itself erupted, knocking them from their feet. His weapon was in his hands again moments after, and he spun it over his head like an expert, launching a volley of white-hot fireballs into the two.

Scorched and angry, the two picked themselves off the floor. The very earth itself began to tremble as Nilus clenched his fists, slashing a hand through the air before it all erupted, pouring lava over where Saeleos just stood. His assault continued as blasts of every element sliced through the air, all aiming to pierce the man.

Ducking nimbly around each blast, Rikku ran forwards, sliding underneath a sudden flare of lightning and sliding right underneath Saeleos' legs. She quickly flipped herself up and into the air, landing perfectly on his shoulders before folding backwards and flinging him into the air with surprising power.

This time it was Nilus who met him in the air, trading blows as each tried to outmatch the other. A sharp slice managed to cut into his cheek moments before he pressed his feet into Saeleos' chest and pushed back, sending the man careening down to earth as Nilus landed on his feet nearby.

Lightning began to storm around Saeleos, and Nilus barely had time to whisper a bewildered "Oh hell," before it barrelled into him and sent him flying into a nearby hut, sending cloth, wood and pans flying everywhere.

Rikku charged again, becoming a yellow blur as her hair whipped around in every direction, distracting Saeleos as she lashed out with all her fury. They dodged time and time again, punches, stabs, kicks and slashes all met empty air as both combatants fought in a furious frenzy.

She went again to strike, catching him in a vicious roundhouse before suddenly dropping to the floor, hearing a satisfying 'crunch' as Nilus' boot met the man's face.

"Not bad," Saeleos conceded with a smug laugh, wiping away the blood from his nose. He spared a glance at both Al Bhed, who were now covered in dirt in random places, while a cut bled from Nilus' cheek and a long gash wept on Rikku's left leg. "But do you really think I'll keep all the fun to myself?" He raised a hand and made a gesture. Datto and Botta suddenly advanced, each clutching a broadsword, faces devoid of anything.

Saeleos meanwhile, merely smirked. "Have some fun guys." Another hand gesture, and the Aurochs attacked.

* * *

Lulu stopped before the corner to the lift, noticing the shadow over the floor. Silently she pressed herself against the wall, motioning for Maelys to remain quiet as she inched forwards. She found herself silently wishing she'd learnt a bit about stealth from Rikku as she heard footsteps come towards her, and her breath caught in her throat.

A boot appeared in her field of vision, and instantly the woman attacked. She leapt out from her hiding place and surprised the figure. She grabbed them by the collar and twirled quickly, slamming them heavily into the wall, where they crumpled instantly and fell to the floor, unconscious, their sword clattering noisily to the floor.

"Sorry Tidus," she apologised to the man as he lay on the floor and kicked his sword from reach. She took a quick look around to ensure that no harm would come to him while he was knocked out before stepping away from him, motioning for Maelys to follow.

The girl leapt over his body, sparing a glance back at the blonde. "Who's that?" she asked, moving into a jog to keep up with Lulu.

The woman kept her gaze forwards, only turning around as the elevator began to descend. "That's Tidus. He was another guardian, and is Yuna's husband." A soft laugh escaped her lips, and she found herself shaking her head in amusement. "To think, the amount of times I wanted to do that to him when I first met him, now I can't help but feel guilty for it."

Maelys said nothing to her, instead she shrieked and ducked as the elevator stopped, barely avoiding the sudden gunshot from a possessed Yuna.

"Do not do this Yuna," Lulu warned, fire swirling around her palms. "You're stronger than this, fight it!" Her words were met with a hollow stare as the woman calmly pulled out another pistol and aimed one at both mages. "Yuna," Lulu growled now, the fires burning hotter around her fists. "I warned you. Do _not_ do this. Think of Tidus. Think of your daughter."

Yuna cocked her head slightly in what Lulu thought was a breakthrough before her fingers slipped over the triggers on each. Before she could fire, however, she was abruptly knocked off her feet by a blast of purple magic, knocking her into a nearby wall and out for the count.

Maelys looked at the ex-summoner once before her eyes trailed up to meet Lulu's shocked face. "She was about to shoot us."

Lulu swallowed as she nodded, tearing her eyes away from the woman she thought of as a sister. "I know," she whispered, taking a step from the elevator and into the antechamber. Her eyes scanned the room before they settled on the door the Chamber of the Fayth, narrowing in apprehension.

"Come on," she commanded, walking towards the final location in the temple. All that remained was to find Vidina and Kimmy... and Wakka was most likely the one standing guard.

* * *

Rikku grimaced as she caught Botta's wrist heavily in her hands, straining to keep the blade away from her skull. "We really should have expected this!" she squealed, jumping away as he broke through of her grip.

"I had my hopes up," Nilus retorted before abruptly leaping to his left, landing in a clumsy roll to avoid Datto's sword swipe.

"Didn't work, did it?!" Rikku exclaimed, grabbing Botta's wrist again. This time, however, she spun to the side and twisted his hand behind his back, freeing the sword and grabbing it for herself. She spun it and smacked him in the back of the skull with the handle, knocking the man out.

Instead of responding, Nilus grunted as he flipped over another swipe from Datto. When he landed, however, the man was at him again, slashing his sword in a wide arc. Nilus barely had time to sidestep it before he struck again, keeping the Al Bhed on his toes. "Why...are...you...so...fast?!" he shouted in annoyance, each word coming between another dodge. Eventually he managed to catch the man's wrist and used it to flip him over and slam him heavily into the floor, knocking him out and making his sword spring free and land at his feet. With an expressionless gaze he picked up the weapon, regarding his reflection in the metal. "Well, at least I've got a weapon now..."

"Well," Saeleos said with a frown, regarding the knocked out blitzers. "That didn't work as planned. If you want something done..." His blade swiped through the air and created a gale powerful enough to push both Al Bhed back a few feet. "You've just got to do it yourself, don't you?"

His question was answered as swords began to swipe at him from each every direction. Perfectly coordinated, and perfectly in sync, Saeleos now found himself pushed to try and block every swipe that came at him. He rose his own weapon to block an overhead strike when Rikku twisted in a crouch, cutting a large gash across his free leg. The man growled and whirled round his weapon, catching her between the blade and shocking her with a blast of lightning. An explosion nearly tore off his ear as he just missed a firaga and replied with a waterga, the spell slamming into Nilus with the force of a wrecking ball.

"See, this is what I mean," Saeleos said as he walked towards them both, magic dancing from his palms. "Nothing goes right unless you do it yourself." He calmly twisted his blade to match each of Rikku's manic slashes with her sword while he _slapped_ away each blast of magic Nilus flung at him.

"And this," he said as he spun his weapon, trapping Rikku's wrist and spinning her towards him, "bores me." He pulled the weapon up, causing her to cry out in pain as her wrist bent backwards, causing her to drop her sword. He easily caught Nilus' charge, cutting the man in the stomach with the saw as he spun and kicked the sword from his hand, smashing his skull with a flat edge of his weapon.

A moment later his hand took on an etheral black glow, lifting both his opponents into the air. As they struggled and cried out in pain, he smirked as black either ripped into their bodies, coursing through their veins and returning to him himself. With little more than a snort he threw them both away, clicking the bones in his neck with renewed vigour. With calm indifference he noted the specks of blood adorning his blade and the floor around them, pulling on his sash to clean the blade. "A shame really, and here I was hoping for a challenge." His eyes lit up again, and the saw on his weapon whirred into life, louder than before. "And now I guess it's time to teach my new pets not to attack their master."

* * *

The Chamber of the Fayth was undoubtedly strange now that there was now presence of a Fayth within. Instead, it was a direct portal to the Farplane, a direct route through the hole where the Fayth statue used to be.

Except, now even the hole wasn't there.

The hole had been boarded up with wood and metal, creating a deck over it. Directly above was a throne, on which Wakka now sat. Lulu could see Vidina and Kimmy quite clearly behind it, too scared to move, though their eyes did light up when they saw her.

The sounds of footsteps in sandals drew her attention back to Wakka, who was now walking towards her, clutching a blitzball in his hand.

"Wakka..." Lulu's voice came out soft and close to breaking. "Don't make me fight you..." She bit her bottom lip as he ignored her, dropping into a familiar stance.

"Shall I?" Maelys offered meekly, sensing Lulu's distress.

"No," the mage replied, shaking her head softly. "I shall take care of this. He is my husband, after all." She took a deep breath and a step forwards, her eyes blazing with resolve. "Wakka," she said sternly, her voice now hard. "You may be many things, but you are not a pawn of a madman. If I have to fight you to prove this, so be it!" She snapped an arm down and a block of ice crashed into his skull, knocking the man onto the floor and leaving him completely unconscious.

"But I will not make you suffer," she finished as she dropped her hands again to her sides, rushing to Vidina and sweeping him up in her arms. "It's alright, mummy's here now," she cooed, easing the child's pain.

Watching it, Maelys couldn't help but feel a large pang of jealousy. The way Lulu swept up Vidina, Kimmy and tended to Wakka, it was obvious they were all a large, happy family, with Lulu the binding motherly force that held them together. Closing her eyes, Maelys felt a small tear slip out as again she thought back to her own mother, unable to forget the horrible feeling as she watched pyreflies float away from her body.

"Who did this?!"

Her musing were cut short as Lulu's voice erupted through the chamber, causing her eyes to snap open. She saw Lulu crouching beside Vidina, her eyes wide with shock and fury as she saw a large purple bruise over the child's stomach. Several smaller bruises coated his arms and legs, and Maelys was sure the temperature in the room dropped by a few degrees.

"Who did this?" Lulu repeated through gritted teeth. "Was it the man with red eyes?"

Vidina's nod settled her decision. Fury fuelling her veins, she picked up both children and marched out of the chamber, aiming towards the village. Consequences be damned, Saeleos had harmed her child, and he was going to die begging for forgiveness for it.

* * *

Pushing past the pain, Nilus forced himself to his feet, ignoring the blood trickling from his lips. He barely looked up in time before screaming in pain as Saeleos' weapon smashed into him, frying him with electricity and blasting him a few feet away, carving an impromptu trail in the dirt.

Rikku meanwhile struggled to her hands and knees, only to receive a vicious kick to her ribs in response. She cried out as his boot smashed into her ribs, making her roll sideways along the ground, landing in a weak, shuddering heap.

"Have you learnt yet?" Saeleos taunted, taking a menacing step towards them. "Have you learnt not to rebel against your master?" Both Al Bhed struggled weakly to their feet, responding to him with glares born of hatred and pain. "Defiant still?" he whispered aloud in bemusement. "I don't see why. No one's going to save you..."

"_**Saeleos!!!"**_

A complete, unnerving silence followed the sudden shout born from pure hatred, so venomous that it made Saeleos himself jump in surprise.

Standing outside the temple was a _seething_ Lulu. No one had ever seen such fury carried in her posture, waves of red mana were _boiling_ off her. Maelys stood nearby, transfixed with shocked horror as Vidina and Kimmy clutched to the psymage.

"You _dare_ harm my child?!" Lulu roared, advancing towards the man, her hand rising and calling on every power she could muster. "You. Will. Pay!"

She snapped her arm down, and all hell broke loose.

Every spell known to man buffeted the man, striking him with unrelenting fury. The clouds darkened as lightning spilled forth from them, even as gales whipped round and the very earth itself erupted. Burning blue flames added to the mix, alongside continual blocks of freezing ice and explosions of water. A blast of burning white light exploded over him, followed by a warp of negative energy; everything was sucked further and further into it before that too exploded. The dust was barely settling before a meteor came hurtling down from the skies, creating a deafening explosion that was heard even in Luca.

The smoke cleared, and there was a large crater now in the middle of Besaid. It cleared completely, and they were treated to the sight of the man hidden underneath a large green dome of mystical energy, completely unharmed. Cracks appeared over the surface of the dome, and as one they broke, peppering the man with small shards of green light.

"No..." Lulu whispered in abject horror as he walked towards her, completely unharmed from her assault.

Around her, everyone else wore the same expression of disbelief as he emerged unscathed from the full wrath of her Fury. His arm snapped out, and Lulu cried out as she found herself engulfed in a horrible red energy, levitating her further and further above the village.

"Lu!" Rikku and Nilus choked out as one, attempting to limp towards her fast enough.

"Such power..." Saeleos whispered in awe. "It even managed to break my shield. I'm impressed," he admitted, a small smile on his face. However, it darkened not a moment later. "But I'm afraid I can't deal with such rebellious people. If I can't have your power... then no one will!"

Lulu's eyes widened for a moment before she screamed, feeling pain flood her entirely. Everyone cried out towards here before an explosion rocked the entirety, causing winds powerful enough to blow a few huts from their foundations.

And all that remained of Lulu were the ashes that floated away in the wind.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ Saeleos' armour is the generic 'black knight' armour seen in most television/film portrayals, albeit in silver.  
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* * *

Trophy Unlocked: **_none  
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* * *

_**Ah, well, a much longer chapter than any so far... I just didn't know where to stop with this one! They break out, Lulu and Maelys search for the kids, Nilus and Rikku get their asses kicked, Lulu throws Tidus into a wall, Nilus and Rikku get their asses kicked some more... it's all good fun!**

**Although poor Lulu. She dead. After all that, trying to find her son and fighting her friends, she goes up in a big explosion. Then again, you're gonna go sometime, better to go for something dramatic, rather than something silly like from a fight with a toaster.**

**To be continued...**


	8. Grief

**(Chapter 08; Grief)**

Lulu was dead.

It was a surreal feeling, and the whole of Besaid seemed to stop, expressions of sheer horror plastered over the faces of Rikku, Nilus and Maelys, while Vidina and Kimmy seemed about to burst into tears. A few more ashes blew away in a soft breeze, the howls of the wind surprisingly loud in the hollow silence.

Lulu was dead, and she wasn't coming back.

_This can't be real! It must be a nightmare! I'll wake up and find out Rikku crashed the ship into a cliff..._

But the entire situation was far too real. There was no magical wake up, no timely arrival of a saviour... their options were nearly non-existent, and it looked like they wouldn't see tomorrow's sunrise.

"What a waste..." Saeleos whispered as he pulled his arm back, solemnly flexing his fist.

And with that, noise seemed to return. Vidina and Kimmy both burst into tears, clutching even tighter to Maelys' legs. The girl simply stood there, numb with shock. Lulu had seemed so powerful, so invincible, and that attack of hers seemed certain to wipe Saeleos from the planet. And now...

Nothing remained of her.

"You bastard!" Nilus shouted out, his teeth grit with pain as he tried to move towards the man. Every nerve in his body felt on fire, every muscle completely drain and unwanting to move. Right now, he wanted nothing more to sleep... just to let the pain pass, but he wasn't sure he'd ever wake up again.

"Don't bother moving; save yourself the embarrassment," Saeleos grunted, refusing to turn and face him. "You're weak, and I've made you rightly so."

Both Al Bhed wore looks of confusion at his words for a moment before attempting in vain again to get to their feet. "You... won't... get away with this!" Rikku growled in a pained shout. She desperately struggled for her feet, wishing that somehow, someone would come to save them. Another growl escaped her lips before her head reeled back, eyes focusing on Maelys. "Just run!" she yelled. "Take the kids and get outta here!"

The girl snapped to attention instantly, amber eyes regarding Rikku with a strange look. Her eyes fell to the two infants beside her; one had lost his mother, the other seemed certain never to see hers again either. Maelys could understand the pain they felt, even as their cries assaulted her ears. But she was only a child herself... she didn't know how to look after two infants.

"Yes, yes, _do_ run," Saeleos taunted, the smirk audible in his voice. "Though-" he walked calmly towards Nilus and thrust out his blade, stopping just before the man's jugular. His whole body stiffened as he felt the metal dig into the side of his neck, and his eyes drifted down in anticipation at the weapon. "But know that running will mean that this one of my pets will die."

A short squeak escaped Rikku's lips as Saeleos pushed the blade further against Nilus, forcing him to his feet. Her eyes darted left and right as she thought in vain for some way out of this situation, but nothing came to mind. They were beaten, black and blue, and now most likely weren't going to see tomorrow.

And just when she'd all but given up hope, a rock suddenly flew out of nowhere and hit Saeleos on the skull. The man snarled in anger and whirled round accusingly at Maelys and the kids, who themselves had turned to map the flight of the rock themselves. Rikku and Nilus looked too, and mirrored looks of confusion washed over their faces.

Their brief respite was brought by Barkeep, of everyone.

"Yoo will not hurt my friendsh!" the Hypello yelled, waving his arms above his head and looking simply ridiculous rather than threatening. He stood atop the temple, watching down on all of them. No one knew how he'd managed to get up there, or when, but no one was considering the idea at the moment in time.

Saeleos glared for a moment, taking in the appearance of the Hypello. A moment later a laugh escaped his lips and he stepped towards Barkeep, letting Nilus free. "A frog?!" he exclaimed, falling into a gloating, disbelieving laugh. "The trump card is a frog?!"

"Do not be sho certain, bushter!" The Hypello made a show of waving his arms dramatically above his head, and slowly black smoke began to fill the village, confusing everyone.

As the clouds filled the area, Rikku, Nilus and the kids were drawn away by a slightly softer Hypello voice. "Follow me for shafety," it whispered in their ears before leading them away. In this situation, none of them argued, trusting completely into what they hoped were their saviours.

"Told yoo sho mishter!" Barkeep grinned before quickly waddling away, disappearing again. Saeleos sneered and turned around, deeming the Hypello's distraction nothing more than that, until he noticed his new 'toys' disappearance.

"What?!" he snarled, spinning a full turn and seething heavily. "Find them, now!" he barked, whirling his cold gaze on his drones. Mindlessly they nodded, completing his order without a second thought.

Left to himself, Saeleos considered the new development. If they escaped, it would mean that they would most likely either disappear completely, or more likely seek revenge at a later date. If he played his cards right, he could let them get away for some time, let them gain their strength back while he built on his, and crush them in one final, decisive blow after all their efforts. And all the better if they gained help along the way; he could crush everyone that opposed him, and truly take Spira as his own.

He smiled a fanged smile to himself. This future Spira was turning out to be better than any dream he could have ever conceived.

* * *

They finally stopped running when they reached a waterfall. Barkeep made a quick nervous glance before slipping behind the waterfall, disappearing into the hidden cave behind. Following quietly were his new companions, who were still in a state of shock about the whole ordeal.

Inside, the crashing water seemed quieter, and they all dropped to the floor in exhaustion, Nilus and Rikku still holding onto Vidina and Kimmy respectively.

"I don't think we can do that again," Barkeep groaned as his voice came out in a nervous jitter. "Too much excitetetiement..."

"You can say that again..." Nilus droned breathlessly. "Thanks you guys, really." He smiled appreciatively at the two Hypello, too exhausted and injured to move. "But... how.... how did you two manage that? I thought Hypello tried to avoid danger as much as they could."

"Ushually we are," Darling answered him, batting an arm through the air in nervousness. "But we shaw that yoo needed shome help. We would not be good friendsh if we did not help, yesh?"

"Not that I'm ungrateful or anything," Rikku started, using a free hand to scratch at her cheek. "But how did you two manage to not get... you know... zombified like the others?"

"We do not know," Barkeep answered, closing his eyes as he thought back. "We were shat in the cabin when shudedenly ebullibody wash acting shtrange. They didn't notish ush, sho we followed them, and shaw yoo in the village."

Nilus stopped and frowned heavily. "It must be because Saeleos has no knowledge of Hypello. He reacted as if he'd never seen your species before, maybe he didn't know how to indoctrinate you. What do you think Maelys, you know the most about him." He turned and looked at the girl, noticing her staring in wonder at the two Hypello before her. "Maelys?"

She blinked. "They're _blue_. They're blue _frog-people._"

Unable to help herself, Rikku let out a sad giggle. "They're called Hypello, you know?" She managed to draw Maelys' attention away from the two Hypello, who were both still leant against the wall, breathing heavily. "You know the Moonflow, right?" She waited until the girl nodded. "Well, the Hypello used to live in the remains of the city." She stopped and bit her lip. "You see, sometime in the past thousand years, the city of the Moonflow all fell into the river. We don't know when, but a few decades ago, the Hypello emerged from their depths."

"So what're you going to do now?" Nilus asked, looking at the two creatures. "Obviously there's no need for you to work on the Celsius anymore..."

"We will move to Luca," Barkeep voiced his decision. "I think I will get a job there, yesh? Maybe if we work there, we can help you in shome way?"

"That could work out well!" Rikku felt a small smile creep on her face. "We could get some information off you both, and maybe you could help spread the word about Saeleos. And then we can help save Yunie and the others! And Lu..." Her voice broke off suddenly, a pained expression hitting her face as she remembered just what had happened. "And Lulu..." she whispered, staring at a dark corner of the cave.

"Lulu told me what you planned to do." Maelys' voice abruptly came through the cave, surprising them all. The unwavering tone in her voice told them that she hated the idea completely. "Kill yourselves so Lulu could get her son back. Instead, now she's dead, just because you two couldn't deal with Saeleos yourselves!"

The harsh bite of her words made both the adults wince, and they found themselves looking down in saddened shame, focusing as best they could on the grieving children. They knew words couldn't excuse their decision; the worst case scenario they expected was that _they_ wouldn't make it, not that they'd lose a friend so horrifically before their eyes.

"There's no need to say it like that!" Nilus snapped, turning his head to face the girl's stony back. "If you really hated the idea so much, why didn't you just go right ahead with your plans? When he was focusing on killing us, why didn't you just plunge a knife into his back if we couldn't deal with him ourselves?!"

Maelys dropped her head, closing her eyes as she secretly wiped away a tear. "It would have been more bad than good." Her words came out choked, admiration and respect evident for the woman in her tone. "Fighting would have been bad, because then _they_-" she glanced at the infants for a moment, "-wouldn't have had anyone to look after them." She looked away again. "I know what it's like not to have a mother looking after you. I... I wanted to make sure they had someone for them." She closed her eyes again, fighting back the tears she could feel building up. "I didn't fight, because if he killed all of us, they would be all alone."

"You're not the only one without a mother, you know kid?" Nilus whispered in answer, wincing again as pain flared through him. "Both my parents died when I was six; I saw it happen before my eyes. Then a few years ago, my brother died in my arms. Rikku's mother's dead too." He let out a deep breath, staring again at the floor. "Not many people in Spira have the luxury of parents. Most people over the age of six have either one or none. We'd hoped now Sin was gone, nothing like this would happen again..." He looked at her again. "Just remember, you keep snapping like that at everyone, _you'll_ be the one that's completely alone."

"How about we move away from such cheery subjects, huh?" Rikku asked suddenly, aiming to change the mood as she noticed Maelys look to the floor in a mix of sadness and shame. "How safe are we in this cave?"

"We're pretty safe," Nilus told them, standing to make a quick sweep of the area. "No one really thinks to look behind a waterfall. The sound of it should cover out speaking, and if we build a fire, it should be unnoticeable." He let out a sigh and made to sit down, barely managing to keep the hiss of pain escaping his lips. "We're able to camp here tonight." He let out another pained breath as he looked at Maelys. "We'll stay here until dawn breaks." He looked at Rikku, eyes meeting hers. "And devise a plan of action in the mean time."

"We will leave at dawn too," Darling told them. "We can shwim to Luca and make shure they do not shee ush."

"And spread the word if we don't make it out," Rikku whispered under her breath. She looked over at Nilus desolately; the hollow look managing to say more than any of her words ever could. Spira was fast seeming to fall into another spiral... and yet again it had begun with another death. They could only hope it wasn't going to continue as such.

* * *

It was dark out, and the only sounds were the crackling of the fire and the distant animal calls in the wild over the continual crash of water. All three children slept soundly, cuddled up together on the dirt, each of their faces covered in a picture of innocence and youth. Barkeep and Darling were nestled in a small pool of water, cuddled up to each other and sleeping lightly.

Stealing one last glance at them all, Nilus stood from the rock he sat on and crept his way from the fire and out of the cave, seeking out the companionship of the empty skies, and the distance from the innocent among them.

He made his way along the small shoreline and over a few large boulders before he saw Rikku sat atop a large rock, her head hung back as she stared at the sky, small spasms affecting her body as a seldom hiccup escaped her lips.

"Hey," Nilus whispered in hollow greeting, taking note of the tell-tale streaks that marred Rikku's face. Her eyes were puffy and red, and she made no move to hide them as she scrunched them shut again and looked out towards the sea.

"She's... she's really gone, isn't she?"

Her words came out like those of a confused child, though the question sounded more of a statement. Another teary hiccup escaped her as she shook her head, all her will being used to stop her from crying.

"Everyone... they're all gone..." She looked out to sea again, the moon's glow reflecting her tear stains a mournful silver colour. "We couldn't save them. We were supposed to be Yunie's _Guardians!_ What sort of Guardian lets their summoner become some mind-slave to some creep anyway?!"

"Rik... I... we..." Nilus' words failed him as he stepped beside her, standing next to her seated figure. His hands fell into his pockets as he stared out towards the ocean too, both of them sharing the mournful silence. "We tried," he whispered finally, his head dropping low. "We tried to defeat him, to free them... and we weren't powerful enough."

"You're telling me..." Rikku mumbled darkly, a hand rubbing across her ribs as a pained expression shot across her face. She was sure they were bruised, at least, but without any potions on hand or even a white mage, the best she could hope for was a good night's sleep. Barkeep had made a salve earlier that had gotten rid of most of the pain, dulling it from a stabbing agony to a dull thud. Another silence fell between them before her soft question cut through the air. "What're we gonna do now?"

"Honestly?" He shook his head. "I'm not sure. We... we never were the ones to plan anything, were we?" he asked with a reflective smile, hands clenching into fists within his pockets. "The pilgrimage? We followed Lulu, Wakka and Auron's decisions. With the sphere-hunting, we got the information from Buddy, and we ended up following Yuna's lead. Even when we hunted fiends, we left all the planning to Buddy again. Face it Rik," he mumbled distantly, turning his gaze to meet her. "We're not the planners of our group. They tell us to move; we move. They point at a fiend, we kill it."

"Well we need to start thinking of something!" she hissed, her own hands forming fists as she leant forwards heavily. "It's only us now, providing pops is okay. And maybe Paine and the others too," she added as she scratched at a cheek. "Though we haven't heard from Paine in over a month, and the guys are all too busy with the Spiran Guard." She fell silent for a moment, her eyes lighting up as she realised another person. "Kimahri too! He could get the Ronso on Saeleos' butt! Maybe even Tromell could lend us a few Guado..."

She stopped short, feeling Nilus' gaze resting heavily on her head. "Yeah, I know..." she whispered, looking up sadly to match his stare. "We shouldn't keep our hopes up about everything. And we've got the kids to look after too..." She glanced briefly towards the waterfall again, letting out a soft sigh.

"We need to get away from here," Nilus decided in hushed tones, folding his arms across his chest. "Take the kids with us, board a ship going out of Besaid; going anywhere. I'm sure we could gather enough people we know to help us save everyone... maybe even someone to look after the kids while we battle. I would suggest Barkeep and Darling, but I don't think they'll be able to deal with the stress of two Spiran babies."

Rikku nodded, biting her lip before saying her point. "I don't wanna be a party-pooper, but what if everyone else is brainwashed too? We can't very well fight the whole of Spira, can we?"

"We'll have to," Nilus replied in a firm tone. "He's killed Lu, controlling our friends, and looking to take over Spira. But-" he stole a glance back towards camp, "-added to that, he's the reason for Maelys being here. I don't know whether she's unsent, or even another dream, but we can't just leave the kids here on her own. Some of what Saeleos taunted us with makes some sense... she's powerful... there's got to be a connection somehow." He turned again towards Rikku, gesticulating his thoughts. "I mean, Tidus appeared, and we somehow find out his dad was the one driving Sin? Even Shuyin was tied into us beating Vegnagun."

Rikku nodded again, crossing her legs beneath her. "I know what you mean. Everything sorta hit us in one big fayth-set-up coincidence, didn't it?" She looked away again, raising an arm as she flexed a wrist. "But one more thing bugs me. Even more than Saeleos' power." She looked up slowly, her brow knit in confusion. "When we fought Saeleos... that last attack... do you feel, I dunno, different after it?"

Silence fell between them as Nilus took a step closer to the edge, staring out at the water trickling along below their feet. "Weaker, right?" He didn't have to look back as he heard Rikku's mumbled confirmation. "I don't know much about it, but I think he managed to drain us completely of all our fighting experience." He himself raised a hand to stare at it, clenching and unclenching it in succession. "Ever since, I haven't been able to manage any sort of spell past the four basic elements. He said he made us as weak as we should be, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Rikku whispered, remembering the man's words herself. "So-" she bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood as she thought on it. "We've got no battle experience now? Everything we've learnt and mastered since the pilgrimage, gone poof?" She mimed and explosion with her hands.

"Pretty much," Nilus confirmed, his head hung low again. "Which means that if we try to fight him again, we're going to need to go out and build ourselves back up again."

"Brilliant," Rikku let out in a low growl. "Nothing's ever simple, is it?" She leapt to her feet before suddenly wrapping her arms around Nilus' waist from behind, burying her face in his back. "Just promise me; when we do this, there's no sacrifices, right? I don't want anyone else dying on us. It was bad enough finding out Auron was unsent, but Lulu's hurts so much more."

"I promise," Nilus whispered as he placed a hand gently over hers. "No sacrifices. We'll find some way to save everyone, and we'll all be here when it finishes. Who knows?" He let out a small laugh. "We might even find out what's really up with Maelys. If she's actually human, we could even end up adopting her into our big happy family!"

Rikku herself felt a small smile cross over her face at the thought. Focusing on the end, happy result was how she always found the strength to persevere through all the hardships, and now it wouldn't be any different.

And hidden behind a large boulder, a certain young mage watched them both, silently wondering just how she'd managed to find people that would look after her so. The thought reached deep through her being, and she found the first few seeds of doubt being planted towards her plans of revenge; was it really worth throwing such friends away, especially now that they wanted the same result as her? If it worked out well, they could work together and kill the bastard.

That was, of course, providing they managed to survive long enough to fight him again.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ none  
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**

* * *

Trophy Unlocked: **_Back to basics. (Bronze). Suffered the penalty of fighting Saeleos.  
_

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* * *

_**Not much to say here really, I couldn't resist having Barkeep save the day! Hopefully I got the Hypello accents right, they're pretty damn hard to do, considering I haven't played these games in ages!  
**

**To be continued...**


	9. Planning Ahead

**(Chapter 09; Planning Ahead)**

Dawn brought the feeling of a new day to everyone that saw it.

Today, dawn brought them with the knowledge they might not see tomorrow.

Barkeep and Darling had left earlier, aiming to swim across the vast oceans to Luca. Being Hypello, they could easily traverse the seas, and arrive at their destination within two days. As for the others, however, they realised they needed to get back to the beach, and hopefully gain control of the Celsius. If they couldn't, they'd have to pray that there was a boat there they could board.

Rikku took a deep breath, steeling herself for the inevitable confrontations ahead. "Right, everyone ready?" she asked with a wide grin as she puffed out her chest. Maelys and Nilus both nodded silently, the latter carrying Vidina while Rikku herself carried Kimmy. They had to lie low on way to the beach, avoiding people and fiends both. Vidina may have been able to walk on his own, but they did not trust the many fiends prowling around to be slower than him. If they had to fight, one of them would protect the kids, while the other fought alongside Maelys. It was not a brilliant plan, by any means, but it was the best they could do.

"It's roughly an hour's walk to the beach from here," Nilus explained as he stepped towards the waterfall and craned his neck around the water. "Since we're going off the beaten path, it's going to take about three hours to get there." He turned to face Maelys, regarding her with an even stare. "It's going to be a bumpy trek, and there's going to be loads of places that we're going to need to jump across." He frowned and placed his free hand under the falling water, watching as the liquid trickled over his fingers. "We won't be able to make a few jumps; we lack the agility to do so."

Maelys nodded before her eyes grew clouded in confusion. "'Agility'?" she parroted in palpable puzzlement.

"Oh, right." Rikku giggled as she adjusted Kimmy in her grip. "You see, there's a variety of factors that determine our strengths and weaknesses in respect to combat and abilities. There's a few obvious ones like strength, and a few that might be more confusing." She smiled a toothy smile before she winked at the girl. "We'll explain it once we get off this island. But all you need to know at the moment is the basics. Strength is how well you physically hit, magic is how effective spells are. Defence and magic defence are just their opposites; how much you resist damage of each type."

"We'll give you an in-depth explanation once we're safer kid," Nilus reassured her, staring at the rocky ceiling rather than at the girl. "And we'll explain how you can improve and learn new abilities."

"Promise!" Rikku grinned in a heavy facade of happiness towards the girl. Only when she passed Nilus did she offer a look that spoke her true opinion; she was deathly afraid they weren't going to succeed, that they were going to fall into Saeleos' control and never be able to rescue their friends.

Regardless, they had to prevail. If not for the sake of Spira, then for the three children with them at the moment. Even if they couldn't emerge victorious against the man, they could at least give them a fighting chance to survive in Spira. It was the best thing they could do in the event of failure.

With hesitant steps they left the cave, knowing that they could very well be walking into their doom.

* * *

"Perimeter patrols have revealed that the traitors have not been sighted."

Saeleos nodded in disinterest as the words were relayed to him. Yuna stood before him, conveying the results of the multiple guard patrols. Honestly, the man had no interest in whether or not they had been found; he was going to let them escape regardless. He still held strong onto their belief that they would go and collect as much resistance as they could, which he could crush in one brilliant sweep. In the mean time, he found it brought an immeasurable sense of satisfaction to get the world's twice-saviour to be nothing more than his mindless slave.

"Station the Celsius guard on the ship," he replied in dead tones, waving a bored hand at her. "Though do be sure to prepare the _surprise_ on board." He let out a bark of a laugh and turned back to look out of the window he'd carved into the Chamber of the Fayth. It let him overlook the brilliant splendour of the sea beyond, revealing the small, uninhabited islands in the far distance. "Restrict trade vessels coming in and out of Besaid; only those that are part of my control are allowed in and out."

Yuna nodded subserviently, bowing before walking out of the room and setting about the task. Many ships had left already, destined to arrive at Kilika and Luca both. It was strange conducting an operation from a place so small and remote, yet also brilliant at the same time. No one would suspect a tiny island trade ship would harbour an invisible plague that would drain them of all free will.

Another laugh passed Saeleos' lips as he examined his unarmoured hand. "If only that fool Yevon was here to see how to truly conduct power. A _true_ war is waged in secret, letting you succeed in one brilliant sweep!" He shrugged and turned to sit on his throne, already plotting his next step. "I always was the better strategist, and this new Spira's _grandchildren_ will understand that very fact!"

* * *

Rikku felt herself wanting to scream under the pressure of it all. _There's so much going on here, and we're expected to do nothing more than run away! It's just so wrong!_

She stopped before a rocky drop, making sure he grip was tight on Kimmy before she leapt, landing with a heavy grunt at the bottom. Nilus and Maelys both landed behind her as she inched forwards, moving overgrown plants from her path. It was funny, in a morbid way, that the very path they'd used to escape the cave and get to the village was the one and same they were using to flee the village and arrive at the beach.

Sweat beaded on her forehead as they traversed forwards, able now to smell the fragrance of the sea. Everything was an eerie quiet, leaving them without the echoing howls of fiends, or even the obnoxious songs of the indigenous birds.

Something was definitely wrong on the beach.

But if the Celsius was there; if there ticket to freedom was on the golden sandy shores, they had to take the risk. Subconsciously all of them began to speed up when they saw the first grains of sand, resulting in them all jogging towards what they hoped was salvation.

And then they saw it.

The brilliant crimson shine of the ancient airship had never looked so beautiful to Rikku. It was still parked where she had left it not even a few days ago. It was still in one piece, and she couldn't see anything physically wrong with it.

Their jog became a slow run as they advanced towards salvation, until they stopped with a screaming feeling in their guts; something was wrong with this picture.

Not a moment later Rikku screamed and shielded her eyes as a deafening explosion tore through the Celsius' hull. They saw the amalgamation of yellows and reds tear through the metal as if it was made of cotton, and winced as even on the opposite side of the beach they could feel the harsh burn of hot wind attacking them.

"No..." Rikku whispered before she realised it, staring in open-mouthed horror at the destruction before her. Her mouth quickly snapped shut as she saw figures approaching from the wreckage, walking in perfect unison with each other.

Like unholy angels of the devil himself, Brother, Buddy and the Aurochs all walked towards them, malice in their very composures.

"Why are you doing this?" Rikku screamed, taking a step closer whilst pressing Kimmy closer to her chest. She could feel the girl begin to cry, but pushed it to the back of her mind. She couldn't comfort the girl now, as much as she would have liked to.

"Well, why, huh?" she shrieked, glowering at her brother and some of her close friends. "Can't you see what you're doing? Can't you see _who_ you're doing it to?"

"We're doing it to the traitors stood before us."

Yuna's cold, harsh voice was like someone pouring ice water down their spines. They all whirled round on her, instinctively taking a step back as they noticed Tidus, Wakka and the villagers all stood behind her.

"Daddy!" Vidina cooed as he stretched his hands towards his father. Kimmy too brightened, hearing the voice of her mother, no matter how twisted and cold it had become. The three parents merely regarded their children with cold indifference, treating them as a stranger in the streets as opposed to their own flesh and blood.

"Guys, stop this!" Nilus barked in a vain attempt to reason with them. "You've gotta be stronger than this! We're your friends! Your _family!_ Snap the hell out of it!"

Yuna closed her eyes and dropped her head in empty consideration. In a swift movement she pulled free her pistol and held it uncaringly at them. When she spoke her voice was filled with so much venom that they were sure they had misheard her.

"Get them."

Everyone advanced on the five of them from two opposite directions; a perfect pincer movement. The two sane adults backed away, their eyes scanning everywhere they could in vain hope that there would be something that could save them. Fear was overwhelming them, causing them to shake and sweat in trepidation.

There had to be some way out!

Maelys unexpectedly gasped at something in the distance, nearly scaring Rikku and Nilus all the more. They hastily turned and followed her gaze, noticing the small ship moving ever closer towards the island. It was still a while away from the docks, but it was their only chance.

Rikku didn't have to think twice about making the choice. "Can you swim?" she shrieked at Maelys. The girl blinked in surprise and nodded numbly, not quite understanding. Rikku instantly grabbed her hand and screamed at them both, "Run!"

They sprinted full pelt towards the sea, hearing dozens of footsteps beating down behind them. Sea water sprayed at them all, and Rikku found herself trying not to fall as she guided Maelys through the waves. Behind her, Nilus cursed continually in Al Bhed as he struggled to keep Vidina from squirming in his grip, wanting to be reunited with his daddy.

Once they found themselves being able to do no more than wade they dove into the water, hearing an explosive gunshot fire from Yuna's gun. Nilus cursed again and grunted as he felt the bullet tear its way through the flesh of his leg, wincing and forcing himself past the pain as he pushed himself to swim, balancing Vidina awkwardly on his back.

They could see the ship approaching, and someone walking towards the side of the deck to observe the commotion. The person let out a frightened shriek as Rikku reached up and grabbed onto the side, followed by a gasp born of horror.

"Me word lass, what's been going on?" he quizzed in alarm as he helped to hoist her onto the ship, then quickly helping to pull up Maelys and the injured Nilus.

He blinked and stared at the pool of blood forming around the man's leg before Rikku yelled, "Turn the ship around!"

He turned to face her in alarm. "What ye taking about lass, they're ye friends ain't they?"

Rikku looked up for the first time at the seaman, and found her eyes widening in surprise. Of all people she was not expecting, O'aka the XIII, self proclaimed 'merchant extraordinaire' was top of the list.

"Trust me!" she pleaded, noticing how quickly they were approaching the beach. The Aurochs and Brother were swimming towards the ship now, visibly closing in. "We'll explain once we're safe!"

"They're not themselves!" Nilus barked some clarification. "They're after us! _Yuna_ shot me in the leg, so turn the ship back!"

_That_ got O'aka's attention. He nodded with wide eyes and hastily ran into the captain's cabin, pulling at the wheel as heavily as he could. The ship lurched as it turned suddenly away from Besaid, groaning under the strain.

Nilus coughed as he pressed his hands heavily over his wound, shaking wet hair from his face. Nearby Vidina wailed about being wet and not being with his daddy, whilst Rikku rushed to his side, trying to inspect the wound as best she could.

"You're lucky," she diagnosed as she brushed matted blonde hair from her face. "It went clean through." One hand wrapped over his as she smiled at him, using her other hand to cradle Kimmy in her grip.

Nilus snorted derisively. "I certainly don't _feel_ lucky." He shook his head, wincing at the pain in his leg. "How you doing kid?" he asked as he turned to look at Maelys.

She stopped to look at them, her hair now wet, straight and clinging to her face, making her look just as young as she truly was. "Fine," she grunted as she wrung seawater from her clothes. "We got away from your so called 'friends', but where are we going now?"

"Kilika," O'aka answered her as he reappeared with them, carrying towels and bottles of potions. "Here laddie, drink this," he commanded as he thrust a blue vial in Nilus' chest before he pressed the clean white towel onto his bleeding leg. "So what on Spira's made Lady Yuna shoot one of her Guardians in the leg?" he asked in honest alarm.

"Wish we really knew," grunted Nilus. He took a swig of the potion, pulling a face as the taste washed over his tongue. The flesh in his leg kneaded together painfully, making him wince before he downed the rest of the solution and tossed the empty vial overboard. "There's someone that's somehow managed to enslave the entirety of Besaid, bending them to his every will."

O'aka let out a shocked gasp as he removed the towel, gripping the man by his shoulders. "Well why didn't you send 'im packing then lad?"

"We tried," Rikku coughed hoarsely, looking O'aka dead in the eyes with her own shimmering orbs. "He pretty much pounded us into the ground, then hunted us off the island!"

"And he killed Lulu," Maelys grunted in blunt venom.

O'aka's jaw nearly hit the floor. "'E killed Lady Lulu? What sort of fiend would do such a thing?"

"Him apparently," Nilus responded with a shrug as he stood up, flexing his muscles. "Thanks O'aka," he said as he clapped the man on the shoulder. "Oh, and this is Maelys," he said as he pointed with an open hand at the girl. "Maelys, this is O'aka. He's a merchant that helped us out plenty of times over on Yuna's Pilgrimage."

"Pleasure lass," O'aka briefly nodded in a gloomy manner. "And ye've even got the two kiddos with ye too?" he asked as he bent down, smiling at the two in Rikku's arms. "Then something's gotta truly be wrong. Ye wouldn't be taking these pups otherwise." He sighed heavily as he rubbed his chin, taking a morose glance back to the retreating figure of Besaid's beach. "When I saw all the commotion, I thought it was a welcoming party for me." He laughed in a hollow manner, shaking his head despondently. "Then I saw they were chasing something. Never would have figured it would have been you kiddos though."

"Neither would have we," Rikku grumbled in distaste. "So, how comes you're driving a ship around?" she asked in an obvious attempt to be rid of such depressing subjects. "Get bored of the merchant business?"

A wide grin overtook the man's face. "Completely the opposite lass! Business is boomin'! Just so happens I don't have t' worry about thieves in Macalania, and Wantz has done a brilliant job with going out and marketing! Just so 'appens that word got round, and folks flocked to Macalania from the Calm Lands for our merchandise. Then I bought myself a new shop in the Calm Lands, and another in the Moonflow!"

He laughed suddenly, pressing his hands to his sides. "Started trading with Besaid and Kilika a while back. In Besaid, I buy the finest Besaid cloths, and their natural fruits, and sell 'em on for a tidy sum. Course I give the locals more than a fair price!" he quickly added upon seeing the look he received from both Al Bhed. "Was goin' to deliver a new shipment of materials and orders on this 'ere boat," he said as he patted the wooden railings. "I thought I'd do the delivery meself; visit everyone in Besaid. Good thing old O'aka was the one on this boat then, eh?"

Maelys looked up at the man, squinting her eyes at him. "Shouldn't there be someone _driving_ this ship?"

"Course there should," O'aka retorted with a laugh. "But the water's pretty still at the moment, so I thought I'd chat to me friends here. Anyway-" he shook his head awkwardly. "Ye guys feel free to go below deck and make yeselves comfortable. Ye've had a rough day, so get comfortable and do what ye need to do. I'll be down with some food in an hour, and I'll see what I can do t' help ye."

"O'aka," Nilus interjected modestly. "You don't need to help us."

"Nonsense laddie!" O'aka retorted with a laugh. "Ye helped me clear me debt with the Al Bhed, and ye've even been vistin' and buying from me these past two years! Least I can do is set you up with enough te get ye where ye need to be." He nodded once more, smiling and remaining firm that he wouldn't take no for an answer. "Now go on, get yeselves comfortable. Dry off the kids and yeselves, and sort out what ye need to."

* * *

Rikku smiled as she watched Vidina and Kimmy sleep in the cot they'd put together for them. She turned around and offered Maelys a bigger smile, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Right, now we said we'd give you a more in depth explanation into everything, didn't we?"

Maelys looked at her and nodded, her attention taken away from the window. She sat down on a bunk opposite Rikku and Nilus, staring intently at them both. "You told me the basics," she clarified for them. "But how much is there to know?"

"A fair bit," Nilus conceded as he fingered the bullet hole in his bottoms. "But like most combat issues, they become second nature quickly. I mentioned agility earlier; that's one of the more complex attributes. Each attribute, like agility and strength reflects your full potential."

"They're all measured by numbers," Rikku elaborated. She rummaged in her pack and pulled out a small machine with a screen a few inches wide, and numerous buttons around the screen. Two long antennae came out from the top, making the device look ancient. "Machina like these can display all that information for ya. Overall, it's rounded into something called 'levels'. They just say how well you're doing in regards to the best you can be." She smiled in nervous comprehension as she noticed Maelys' look of clouded confusion. "Right, this machine here says I'm currently at level one." She scowled as the words came out, making her remember Saeleos' removal of her power. "That means I'm working at one percent of my maximum. It goes all the way up to ninety-nine, cos let's face it, working at a hundred percent potential means that you'd be perfect. And no one's perfect!"

Her laugh fell on death ears; everyone hearing how truly hollow it was. She giggled in the awkward silence and twirled one of her many braids between her fingers. "I think we'll explain abilities to you tomorrow; your mind might be a bit puzzled with all the sudden info bashed into it!"

"You can have a look round the ship if you want," said Nilus with a wave of his hand. "Me and Rik will wait in here and look after the infants. Just let us know when you want to understand the other attributes."

"I will," Maelys said as she stood up. She glanced around the room quickly before turning to leave, pulling on the handle of the door.

"Hey kid." Nilus stopped her as the door opened fully, swinging out as she turned to face the man again. "If anyone asks, don' tell 'em you're from Zanarkand, okay? Like we said before... it doesn't exist anymore." He looked awkward for a moment as he stood and leant against the wall, folding his arms and dropping his head briefly. "If they do ask-" he looked up now, again focusing on her. "Tell them you're an orphan from the Luca slums. More likely than not they'll not want to ask anything more about that."

The girl nodded once more, taking the words to heart as she left the room, wondering just what was below the deck.

* * *

Five different rooms were what the girl had found laid out before her. One of which she'd just left, and another she assumed was O'aka's own personal bedroom. Maelys was sure her heart had leapt into her throat when she found a treasure chest in there, only to discover the damned thing was locked. She thought for a moment, remembering that Rikku was a thief. Perhaps she could get her to take a look at it later...

Elsewhere she had only found a large dining room, a room at the far end of the corridor which contained all O'aka's cargo – where she'd managed to pick up a forgotten pouch with two-thousand gil, no less! She'd grabbed a map of Spira while in there two, stuffing it into one of her leg pouches, deciding to study it later.

She reached the final room, and found herself instantly gagging at the horrible smell of ammonia and wet feathers. The sheer combination could only mean one possible thing-

- Chocobos.

The large birds were at least twice the size of the girl, and running excitedly in large wheels that were running the ship's engines. One of the creatures stopped running and bobbed over to her, stopping before her to sniff at the child's hair. Maelys found herself gingerly stroking the bird's chest before it cried happily and bounced into the air, fluttering its wings to carry it back into its wheel, where it began running full pelt again.

"Marvellous beauties, ain't they?"

Maelys barely managed not to scream as she jumped and twisted round, her hands taking on a soft purple glow as she glared daggers at O'aka. The man, however, didn't focus on her, instead staring at the birds running in the wheels.

"They're used all over Spira, ye know?" he mentioned conversationally, rubbing his chin in thought. "'Course, now that everyone's getting their hands on machina, people are using chocobos less and less, but sometimes ye want to use these big buggers." He laughed deeply, not noticing as Maelys softened her glare and turned away, the glow around her hands disappearing completely. "So where bouts ye from lass? Ye don't seem like anyone I've ever seen in Besaid before."

She looked at him briefly, about to answer honestly before Nilus' words echoed in her brain. "The Luca slums," she stated matter-of-factly. "I'm an orphan."

"Yeah, most kids from there are," O'aka whispered as he rubbed again at his chin. "Good thing those two found ye then, eh?"

She stared past his laugh, focusing on the man in wonder. "Weren't you meant to be driving the ship?" she asked in quiet alarm.

O'aka laughed again. "Turns out, I didn't know this ship as well as I thought. Found out it's got something called 'auto-pilot'! I just flip a switch and it locks the steering wheel in place, making sure we just travel straight ahead. I tell ye, some people do think of the most wondrous things!"

Maelys shrugged at his words. "If you say so," she said before turning to leave. She found herself amazed that Nilus' advice had worked perfectly; she had thought that this O'aka would have pressed her for even more questions about where she'd come from. If it silenced even _him_, she had no doubt the slums had to be a truly awful place.

"Welcome back!" Rikku greeted her as she walked back into their room, the woman smiling happily despite everything that had happened earlier. "So you ready to cram loads more info into your skull?"

Maelys shrugged once more. "I suppose I need to."

"Got that right," Nilus laughed. "Attributes are measured with numbers, similar to levels. Except with these, each one has a maximum value of two hundred and fifty-five. How well you're doing is reflected by any number smaller or equal to that, and they're worked out in percents." He smiled at her expression, and realised his explanation may be lost on her. Nonetheless, he continued. "If, for example, your strength is measured at twenty-five, it means you've got about ten percent of your body's limit."

"There's nine attributes other than what we told you," Rikku began to explain. "They're a bit more complicated than those though. The simpler ones are like luck, which is just how likely you are to hit a weak spot on an enemy and do more damage. Evasion is how well you'll do at dodging attacks. Harder ones are like dexterity. The higher that is, the more likely you are to steal items from an enemy, as well as stopping them stealing from you." She giggled at Maelys' sudden expression of shock. "Yup, people _will_ try to steal from us, as stupid as it sounds! Anyway, you've also got speed, which is really important. That's just how quickly you'll be able to attack. It varies for all of us; for me, it's how quickly I can get my stamina back to attack. For Nilus it's how quickly he can get an arrow in his bow and aim. Some fiends are gonna be _really_ speedy, and you might find they can attack us _loads_ more time that we can them."

"That's because like us, each fiend is slightly different," Nilus explained for her. "Just like mages are better at magic than warriors, and thieves are faster than almost anyone." He smiled and shook his head, hoping the girl understood everything she was being told. The other attributes are accuracy, which is simply how often you'll land a successful attack on an enemy, and vitality, which is a bit more complicated. The higher it is, the more likely you are to resist ailments like poison, and the quicker they'll wear off when you contract one. Higher levels of vitality also means that good statuses like protect will last longer.

"Then you've got agility, which I've mentioned a few times, but never explained," he conceded with a small laugh. "That's how well you're going to be able to jump, move and the like. Sometimes you need to jump a big gap; you need a high agility to make farther distances. It also means you can jump higher to hit airborne enemies, and use more complex dodging methods."

"Sometimes just jumping back won't mean you'll avoid damage," furthered Rikku. "I mean, everyone can roll out of the way of an attack, but the higher your agility, the quicker you'll be able to do it, and the faster you'll recover. It's kinda dizzying to roll around then leap to your feet, you know?" She stopped and glanced at the sleeping kids, pulling the blankets over them affectionately. "The better your agility, the better manoeuvres you can do. Cartwheels, front flips and back flips all become easier the better you agility. It also raises the likelihood you'll be able to land on your feet, unharmed if something knocks you into the air."

"That's the most complicated one," Nilus reassured the girl. "But it's most definitely one of the most important. Last two are HP and MP – health and mana. Health can hit the most of ninety-nine thousand, nine-nine-nine, and mana nine thousand, nine-nine-nine." He laughed and gripped his mouth, feeling slightly tongue-tied. "They're some of the easier attributes. The more health you have, the more attacks you'll be able to take off fiends. Mana is your magic current, so to speak. The more you have, the more spells you can use. When it runs low or out, you won't be able to focus enough to cast spells, so you just have to wait a little wile for your focus to return."

Rikku grinned and bounced towards the girl. "So, any questions?"

Maelys blinked, gripping the sides of her head. "So if I want to become the strongest, I have to have all my 'attributes' hit two-hundred, fifty-five?"

"Yup!" Rikku nodded enthusiastically. "But that's not gonna happen easily. Even at your full potential, you won't be perfect in _any_ attribute. But there _are_ items you can eat or drink that can give you a permanent increase to attributes, and some that even make you do more damage with certain elements or attacks."

Nilus laughed, seeing Maelys' look of complete over-exertion. "Take a rest kid. Food should be here soon, we won't talk fiend-business until tomorrow."

She nodded in understanding, crawling wearily into an empty cot. There was far, far too much that had happened that very morning, and she felt everything building further on her shoulders. The more she spent listening to these two, the more she learnt about preparing herself for combat. As grateful as she now was that they were teaching her all of this, she couldn't help but think that they should have been collecting enough people to combat Saeleos.

No doubt he was building his own army, and she wanted to make sure he never had the chance to beat them again.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ none  
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Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a  
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* * *

_**Ah, the funs of trying to rationalise game statistics into realistic equivalents. I think I did quite well, even if it's a bit long winded! Obviously I've added in a few new ones, I just thought such things needed including, just to give everything more consistency. **

**And O'aka appears! His accent's weird; it just doesn't fit anywhere else in Spira! I'm certain no one else speaks like that, not even his brother! Ah well, guess he had to have something about him that defined him from other merchants.  
**

**To be continued...**


	10. The Choices We Make

**(Chapter 10; The Choices We Make)**

The room the next morning smelt worse than the prison ever had.

Maelys found her nose twisting in disgust as she woke and the smells assaulted her, becoming lodged in her throat enough that she could _taste _them. It really seemed that the two children weren't yet ready for the joys of travelling on the seas, as it smelt like they had been sick multiple times.

"Hey sleepy-head," Rikku greeted the girl warmly as she noticed her eyes flutter open. The woman looked like she hadn't slept a wink all night; and Maelys was certain that if she squinted, she could make out small specks of sick in her hair. She was sat cross-legged on the floor, Kimmy in her lap and grasping at the braids in her hair. "Sleep well?"

"Suppose," Maelys grunted as she began to wipe the sleep from her eyes. "Do they not like travelling or something?" she asked in regards to the children sat with Rikku in a makeshift pen.

"Don't think it's that," Nilus answered her suddenly. Maelys' head whirled round to the corner of the room, where he was stood quietly, watching out of the window. "They miss their parents; they've seen us running away in fear from them. Vidina saw his mother _blown up_ in front of them. Seeing a parent die before your eyes isn't something you get over quickly." He dropped and shook his head as a morose grunt of amusement escaped his lips. "Guess that's something all of us have in common – bar Kimmy."

Maelys stopped and considered the thought. She'd heard the hushed whispers of her two adult companions during the night; their discussions of what to do with the two children of their closest friends, and what they could do to stop Saeleos. Eventually it drifted to the talk of losing parents, and how Vidina would cope, which had given Maelys a strange set of dreams in which she pictured Lulu, her own mother and what she pictured Rikku and Nilus' own mothers to look like, all telling her some sort of information.

She scrunched her eyes shut and tried to focus on what the dream was exactly, but found that it was just out of reach, like a balloon string as it floated up and away into the sky.

"We should be in Kilika by nightfall," Nilus stated without prompt. He turned away from the window and crouched before Vidina, holding a toy playfully to the boy. "Best we get O'aka to leave us there, and he can scoot back off to his Macalania shop. I don't want him getting caught up in this as well."

Rikku nodded in agreement. "I'll see what I can do to help him out," she decided as she pushed herself up from the floor, handing the infant girl to Nilus. "I feel bad about mooching off O'aka like this." She twisted round in a full circle and held a hand out to Maelys. "Wanna come with? We can leave Nilus here with the pooing, sicking babies!"

He rolled his eyes her sarcastically. "What did I ever do to deserve someone as nice as you?"

Maelys found herself lost as the two adults shared a grin at his remark. It didn't make sense to her, that they could be so obviously mocking each other and yet still happy in each other's presence. She could only make one logical conclusion from it all.

Adults were weird.

"C'mon," Rikku said as she near enough skipped out the door, dragging the girl along with her. It confused the girl entirely, wondering how on earth she could be so happy, despite everything that had happened.

* * *

The walk out of the corridor was awkward and silent, two things which were never normally associated with Rikku. Maelys found herself keep wanting to start a conversation, finding herself genuinely concerned that something bad was about to happen.

"Something's bothering you," bluntly stated the girl.

Rikku stopped and giggled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess that's obvious," she said as she scratched at a cheek. "It's just... well, I'm not sure how to explain it," she admitted in obvious dismay. "It's just that well... does it seem to you like Nilus is becoming less... well... emotional?"

Maelys glanced at her in confusion for a moment. "'Emotional'? As in tearful?"

"Not that," whispered Rikku with a shake of her head. "I mean more withdrawn with his emotions. Like he's not showing them as much as he used to."

"I'm not sure," Maelys admitted. "When I first met you aboard that ship, he seemed to smile a lot more. Now everything's happened, he seems to be in a constant state of..." She frowned, not knowing the words to express her thoughts. "Apathetic?" she whispered as she tested the word. "I'm not sure. He _does_ seem like he's less happy... or _anything_ than before."

Rikku clicked her tongue as she turned her gaze towards the floor. "That's what I was worried about," she admitted in genuine concern. "He shouldn't be hiding his emotions like that. It's just... not right."

A heavy, confused frown crossed over Maelys' face. "But... your friend Lulu did it."

"Yeah," Rikku answered with a small laugh. "But you see, well... Lulu was-" the thought of her in the past tense still hurt to think, let alone say, "-human."

"But so are you," countered Maelys.

Rikku shook her head. "Not exactly. We're Al Bhed. We're similar to humans, but we're not _perfectly _human." She paused and bit her lip, thinking of an analogy Maelys might understand. "You know how with cats, you can get different types? You can get the big, fluffy white ones or the creepy ones with no fur at all? It's sorta like that between humans and Al Bhed. The main problem is; us Al Bhed are more expressive with our emotions. You've noticed how I can't help but bounce around and smile, right? That's something I can't help, 'cause I'm Al Bhed. Not all of us are always happy, but our emotions are pretty much always easy to read. Nilus was the same... but now he's becoming withdrawn... it's not a good thing," she whispered with a shake of her head.

The girl shrugged without understanding. "Is that why you took me with you?"

"Sorta," Rikku truthfully replied. "I mean, I hope the time alone will help him pull himself together a bit more... bit at the same time, we _should_ help out O'aka; he _is_ letting us stay on his ship and eat his food for free." She shook her head and plastered on a smile; finding herself now being able to apply the facade her cousin used to wear so often on her pilgrimage. "Now c'mon, let's help him out; if you're lucky, we could even let you ride round on the chocobos powering this thing!"

Chocobos? Maelys found her interest piqued. The big birds were over double her size easily, and looked like they could easily eat her whole. Riding one could possibly be very fun.

* * *

"Everything's not exactly going well, is it Vidina?" Nilus whispered as he picked the boy up and bounced him on a knee. Nearby Kimmy sat happily playing with a few small dolls, placing little plasters on the plastic flesh. She definitely was her mother's daughter.

"I mean, what am I meant to do now?" the Al Bhed continued with a weary sigh. "Maelys and Rik are both looking to me for support, and I'm trying my best to give it. But there's only so much I can fake being a pillar of strength. There's just... so much to figure out. What we do from here, how we go about it, what path we should take, whether we should gather allies or not. Even what to do with you little tykes." He shook his head as he continued to bounce the boy up and down. "I'm not a leader, and I'm having to become one to look out for everyone. The pressure's... well I don't know how anyone ever managed it."

He looked away, again staring out of the window as he contemplated it all. Rikku was strong, and putting on a brave front, but he knew her. She was even more lost than he. He was the oldest of their group, and thus the leader by default. Rikku definitely had a head on her shoulders, but she, like almost all Al Bhed, let her emotions cloud her judgement. Yuna had managed so well because of her human side; she'd managed to use them to guide her towards her goal, not let them decide what she had to do.

He couldn't let everything pile up on him. His own grief, his own anger... he had to let it guide him towards their goal... whatever it may be. Anger was saying to avenge Lulu, fear to run and hide, pride to stay and fight... it all conflicted against each other.

Being a leader was tough. He just hoped he'd be able to cope with the pressure, otherwise the people that depended on him would be pulled down too.

* * *

Maelys' limbs were extremely sore. It turned out that O'aka needed help in getting rid of the waste in the ship...

... which turned out to be Chocobo dung.

It was infinitely worse than that of regular avians, as this formed huge piles that _stunk_ of ammonia, and the birds themselves would often have remains of it covering their feathers around their backsides. It was no wonder why the creatures stunk. Shovelling that all day was not worth the ride she got on a few of them, the only good part was that she managed to get one to chase O'aka for a short while.

Surprisingly, the rather podgy man could run pretty damn fast.

She walked into their shared cabin and collapsed down on the bed, not wanting to move any of her limbs anymore. She heard Rikku enter in a much more enthusiastic way; the woman was obviously a lot more used to hard work than her.

"Maelys."

She forced herself up at Nilus' mention of her name, refusing to show any weakness. Her eyes fluttered in the motions of sleepiness, and she barely managed to register a small machina flying towards her before it landed in her lap. Her eyes shot open and she glared at the offending piece of metal, lifting it in her hands to examine it more closely. It was a dark purple in colour, and almost completely spherical. There was a small screen and a scanner, like the machina Rikku had shown her, but this only had six buttons; four directions and one for acceptance and refusal.

"You now own your very own ability tracker. Congrats." Nilus smiled at her as she looked down at the machina again, this time in wonderment. "It does exactly what it describes; it lets you keep track of your abilities, like magic and skills."

Rikku grinned as she sat down next to the girl, taking over the explanation. "The more we use our abilities, the better we get at them. That's obvious, isn't it?" she conceded with a giggle. "But this helps you keep tabs on how well you're progressing. Each ability is divided into five 'levels', so when you're at one, it means you're just learning how to use it, and at five, you've mastered it." She grinned once more and reached across, tapping the large green button on the machina. "Press this to get started."

Maelys nodded and pressed the button, near enough jumping in fright as it whirred into life. A small beam of light slowly passed over her, which faded away quickly before the machina beeped again. The girl squinted as words began to run across the screen in her hands.

"Now you can see how well you're doing," Rikku explained as she indicated the screen. "You can use the directions to navigate, and press the green one again to get more in-depth explanations, like how well you're learning it, and what benefits it's giving you."

"Everyone gives a different boost," carried on Nilus. "For example, becoming more skilled at magics can give a boost to your magic attribute, or perhaps your mana. There's skills all of us can learn, like some black and white magic, and stealing, but others are special to our own training." He pulled round the empty quiver on his person as an example. "I'm trained as an archer, so only I'll be able to learn archery skills. Likewise, Rik's the only one out of us that can use special thief skills. You'll be the only one that can use psychic magic."

Rikku bounced on the bed in excitement. "So, I might be able to distract an enemy for some time, and Nilus might be able to point out something's weak spots to us for a short while. You'll probably be able to alter their mind or something, like confuse them, or just get someone to eat paper, just for the fun of it!" She fell into a short laugh, stopping as she noticed Maelys staring at her in bewilderment. "Right, sorry, serious conversation," she said as she brushed the air. "Usually, the more you use an ability, the better you'll get at it. But they all advance differently. I mean, you'll become better at stealing the more you succeed. The more damage you do to an enemy with damaging skills, the better at them you get. More you heal with healing spells, the better they work, you get it?"

Maelys nodded in understanding. "Damage foes to increase my knowledge with offensive magic, heal more with healing magics." She stopped and frowned, absently playing with the buttons on her machina. "But what about statuses? Like protect and sleep?"

The two Al Bhed shrugged as one. "We've got no experience with those sorta skills," Nilus admitted matter-of-factly. "Neither me or Rik specialise in white or arcane magic. But if you meet someone that specialises in them, you can ask them more. Even if we did learn anything like that, because we don't know how to learn more about it, we wouldn't be able to get better at it."

Rikku smiled as she crossed her legs while she fidgeted. "Basically, you need to have someone to explain to you how to level certain abilities before you can advance in them. A black mage can't tell you how to learn better white magic, and vice versa. Like a teacher, really," she said as she clicked her thumb and forefinger together. "'Cos Spira's got so few people left in it, most of our knowledge has been lost. Because of that, people want to get it back again, so they'll be more than happy to share information with you – the majority of the time."

"But there's some skills most people don't know," Nilus replied with a serious tone. "For those, we can only hope we'll be able to find tomes or scrolls that can relate the information. Lulu found one that let her learnt that spell with meteors." He winced at speaking of her, reigniting the painful memory burned forever into their brains. "But... she hid it somewhere again quickly afterwards. She was one of only a few humans able to use it without killing themselves. A few Guado may have been able to, as they're naturally more attuned to magic..." he stopped as he noticed the complete lost look on Maelys' face. "Right, never heard of Guado? You'll see some soon enough. They look like they're part plant, and have really lithe bodies, and pointy ears."

Maelys shuddered at the mental image she produced; a bright green thin human with pointy ears, branches sprouting from their head, and vines extending from their hands.

Now _that_ was creepy.

Rikku bounced again in an obvious attempt to change the subject. "So if you wanna be the best with abilities, use everyone you have as much as you can, talk to as many people as you can, and search every dusty old library and ruin you can! Who knows? Learn enough and we might be able to take down Mr Creepy-psycho-eyes without much effort!" Her hollow laugh was met only by a sarcastic snort from Nilus and a look of disbelief from Maelys, whereupon she realised that it was probably still too early to be making jokes about the man.

"Anywhoo," she said as she bounced to her feet. "You should probably get some rest Maelys," she advised as she spun around to look at the girl. "We're getting into Kilika at dusk, so we're going to be leaving as soon as we dock. So rest up! You've only got about three hours sleep before we're trail blazing again!"

Reluctant as she was to admit weakness, Maelys found herself agreeing instantly. Her head had barely hit the pillow before she was out like a light, still cradling her new machina to her chest.

* * *

The sun was setting on the sea, basking it all in a brilliant orange-pink glow. Nilus and Rikku both stood watching it in silence, their clothes making the only noise as they batted against each other in the breeze.

Eventually, Rikku decided she had been quiet long enough. She sighed and leant on her elbows on the railing, staring out to sea as she spoke. "Why are you hiding yourself away all of a sudden?"

Nilus grunted without thinking as he heard the question. He turned to look at her, seeing the beginnings of tears building up in her eyes. He thought she'd cried herself dry these past few days over everything. It looked like he was wrong.

"You're not being as happy, sad or _anything _as before!" she furthered as her fists crashed down on the railings. "You want to grieve, then grieve! You _can_ cry you know! It's perfectly normal to!"

Nilus looked away from her, staring out to sea. "I..." He caught his words in a gulp, struggling with how to explain himself. "I can't let my emotions cloud my vision. Since everything's happened, I've become the leader of our group, haven't I? I'm trying to think of what to do... but it's just so _hard_ to think of everything, plan every step logically."

Rikku glared at him for a moment before her expression softened. "Then _don't_ plan everything logically. Let whatever your heart's telling you lead you. Remember the pilgrimage? Yunie's heart guided her to finish it. Sphere hunting? We helped our friends before anyone else, and got rid of the aeons because Yunie needed to do it herself. You don't have to become as stoic as Auron, you know? You might think you're alone in being a leader, but you're not, okay?" She stepped closer and placed her hand over his, even as her other clenched into a fist. "I'm still here. I can help you plan, I can ease this burden you've placed on your shoulders. Just 'cos you want what's best for us doesn't mean that you have to do everything yourself! Every leader needs help; don't be the jackass that refuses it and destroys himself!"

He laughed as her words drove through into his skull. "I guess you're right," he relented in good humour.

Rikku smiled once more, her demeanour brightening in an instant. "Of course I'm right! I'm a woman, which means no matter what, Rikku is always right!" She laughed as she poked his chest, stopping into a giggle as he caught her finger and smiled down at her.

"You're mad," he told her as his hand closed around her single, poking digit.

"Being sane is lame," she responded with a wink. She danced backwards as she pulled free of his grip and jumped onto the railings, closing her eyes as she felt the sea breeze pass over her body. "Just remember to let me help, okay? I don't want you going all self-destruct on me." She grinned once more as she twisted and jumped back on deck, straightening herself in an instant. "C'mon, we've gotta check on the kids. We've got less than an hour 'til we get into Kilika, and I wanna make sure we've got everything before we leave."

"We still need to figure out what we're doing with the kids though," Nilus said as he walked beside her, heading towards the stairs. "We know we need to stop Saeleos, but we can't very well take them with us."

"So we're gonna need to leave them with someone we can trust," Rikku elaborated with a contemplative frown. "Who do we know in Kilika though? There's Dona-"

Nilus' snort interrupted her instantly. "I'm pretty sure Lulu would come back from the dead to kill _us_ if we left Vidina with her. And can you imagine how high and mighty Dona would act when we asked her to look after Yuna's daughter?"

Rikku herself laughed at the thought. "Good point. _That's _just a disaster waiting to happen."

They walked in silence a moment more, wondering who could be trusted with the children of their closest friends and family. They needed to be someone who could care for them brilliantly, as well as be able to keep them out of any harm's way. They were truly clueless.

"Cootchy coo!"

Both Al Bhed nearly jumped from their skin as they heard O'aka's voice. They followed it downstairs, to find the man happily playing with Kimmy, throwing her into the air and catching her, again and again. All the while the infant gurgled happily, causing the man himself to laugh. They watched from the doorway as he placed her down and repeated the same with Vidina – albeit with more difficulty.

"What's that stink?" he suddenly said as he glanced around, nose turned up until he focused on Kimmy. "Ohh, did you go potty in your panties?" he asked as he bent down to her level. Outside, Rikku sighed silently and prepared for nappy-changing duties. "C'mon then princess," said O'aka as he picked Kimmy up under her armpits. "Let's get you changed out of those mucky clothes, eh? Can't be doin' well for Lady Yuna's daughter herself to be sitting in her own poop, can it?"

Rikku and Nilus found themselves both dumbstruck. Here they had spent so long wondering who could look after them, overlooking the one person beneath their noses. O'aka had gone to so many lengths to look after them on the pilgrimage, and now he doted on the children like they were his very own flesh. There actually was no one better to look after them.

It was, at least, one answer to so many of their prayers.

* * *

The splendour that was Kilika at night shone on them from a distance. Brilliantly coloured fabric-covered huts and wooden walkways were shining brilliantly under the orange glow of torchlight. The ship pulled into the docks perfectly, and the whole town seemed to shine orange under fire's glow at such a close proximity.

"Well, I got ye where ye needed to go," O'aka said awkwardly as he turned to face his five guests. "Shame ye can't spend more time with ol' O'aka, but it's probably for the best, neh?" He laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck before he placed a hand in a pocket and pulled out a key. "Here ye go lass," he said as he placed the key in Maelys' hand. "If ye go down to the storage room below deck, ye can grab yeself a weapon, as well as one for Rikku and Nilus here. No doubt ye know what weapons they use, neh?"

Maelys nodded as she accepted the offered key as if it were the holy grail itself. She glanced at her two adult friends, waiting until they nodded before she near enough ran downstairs to have a look.

"O'aka," Nilus began in protest. "You _really_ don't need to give us weapons. You've done so much already."

"Nonsense lad!" the merchant rebutted his protests. "Ye're trying to stop the git that killed Lady Lulu, as well as release Lady Yuna herself from his grasp. It's the least I can do." He stopped and rubbed his chin, focusing on the infants held in both the Al Bhed's hands. "Just wish we could get the little tykes somewhere safe. Not good for them if you're running around beating up this madman, is it?"

Rikku and Nilus glanced at each other, sharing a nod. "Well, that kinda leads to what we wanted to ask you," Rikku said nervously. "Well, we saw you earlier with them, and realised how good you were. And well... I know it's cheeky to ask after everything... but we were wondering if you wanted to look after them while we sort everything out."

Nilus glanced backwards, making sure Maelys wasn't back yet. "There's every chance we might fail doing this. Or that we won't be coming back, regardless of our success," he admitted in grave honesty. "We need to know that Vidina and Kimmy are being looked after by someone we can trust; someone that can look after them, even should we fail."

O'aka's eyes sparkled in a mixture of pride, sadness and delight. "It'd be my honour, ye both. I swore to Lady Yuna I'd help her out in any way I could when ye were on that pilgrimage. If I can keep holding up that promise, it'd be my delight. I'll treat 'em as if they were me own flesh and blood."

"Thank you," Rikku whispered tearfully as she wrapped the man in a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "You don't know how much better this makes us feel."

"Just be sure to keep them out the way," Nilus advise cautiously. "The man behind this all, he can control other people to his will. Keep an eye on people's eyes. If they're hollow – if they're eyes look dead – run in the other direction. They're not themselves, so we don't want to hurt them unless we have no other choice."

"Ye got me word lad," O'aka promised as he took Vidina and Kimmy both from them. "No harm shall come to these kids; I swear it on the name of O'aka!"

Rikku laughed as she crouched down to look at the two children. "Now you two be good for your uncle O'aka, okay? He's gonna look after you until your parents can come get you, okay?"

"Why not daddy now?" Vidina grumbled in infantile confusion.

"Because daddy's not well," Nilus replied as he too crouched to their level. "Me and auntie Rikku are going to make sure your daddy, as well as Kimmy's mummy and daddy get better." He ruffled the boy's hair, smiling as he grumbled reluctant acceptance. "Thanks O'aka," he said as he stood and clapped the man on the shoulder.

The clanging of meal sounded behind them before the door opened again, revealing Maelys carrying weapons that looked larger than her. A bow was draped awkwardly over her shoulders, as she carried a Kukri knife in each hand, as well as what appeared to be a moogle's head poking out from her top. A quiver full of arrows dropped noisily to the floor, and the girl looked relieved to finally be rid of the burdens.

"You really should have asked for help," Rikku scolded her as she walked over and took her new knives, examining them in the light before sheathing them both. "But, I can't blame ya; I'd have probably done the same at your age," she admitted with a large grin. "Thanks a lot," she said appreciatively as she placed a hand softly on the girl's shoulder.

"Major thanks kid," said Nilus as he plucked the arrows from the floor and filled his own quiver. He laughed as he removed the bow from her shoulders gently, and smiled before he sheathed it on a small holder on his back. "What did you pick yourself?"

Maelys plucked the moogle from her top, revealing the stuffed doll to them all. Nilus and Rikku both felt their stomachs flip-flop in pained reminiscence. Dolls were Lulu's weapons, after all. And here Maelys was, choosing one as her very own. It made the whole situation miles more painful for them.

"Good choice," said Rikku enthusiastically. "They're powerful magical channels. Using that will help you blast fiends apart, no problem!"

Maelys nodded silent again. O'aka cleared his throat, drawing attention back to him. "Sorry 'bout the state of them, but I wasn't exactly preparing a weapons order. 'Fraid they're just basic models."

"They're brilliant, nonetheless," replied Nilus. He took one look at the kids and swallowed forcefully, not wanting to have a drawn out goodbye. "Well, take care of yourself O'aka."

"Be good you two," Rikku said as she swept the children into one final hug. She left them reluctantly and stood, nodding to O'aka with emotional eyes. "See you soon," she said as she turned and took Maelys' hand.

"Aye." O'aka nodded gravely. "Take care of yeselves too. See ye when it's all done, eh?"

They nodded in silence, turning to leave the man with Vidina and Kimmy both. As they walked along the ship towards the dock, Maelys found herself becoming more confused.

"Why have we left them both there with him?" she asked them both.

"Our journey's going to be too dangerous to have them with us all the time," Nilus replied honestly. "You can defend yourself, and you want to get your revenge on Saeleos, so you can come with us. They're still infants, so we left them with O'aka; he can take care of them like they're his own."

"You'll see them again," Rikku promised. "O'aka's probably going to Macalania or the Calm Lands with them. We've got friends past there who we can go see to help us, so we can drop in to see them on the way."

They were doing it to protect them, Maelys comprehended, as well as to protect themselves. If they fought fiends while looking out for them both, everyone would be in more danger. It was best for everyone.

"Anyway, welcome to Kilika!" Rikku said joyously in subject change. "It's a beautiful place at night and daytime both, and the jungle's got fiends that we can go hunting after!"

"As well as inns to stay at," stated Nilus. He took a step forwards and craned his neck, attempting to spot one himself. He was, however, unused to Kilika's layout, and found himself completely lost. He shrugged and walked over to a nearby dock worker, tapping him on the shoulder gently. "Excuse me, but can you point us to the nearest inn?"

The man turned round sleepily, looking withered and pale under the torch's fire above him. His old, weary face seemed sunken, and a wispy, white beard covered most of his face. His eyes snapped open at them, and they all found their blood run cold in shared fear.

For he was staring at them with oh-so-familiar hollow eyes.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ none  
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Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a  
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* * *

_**So going from in game stats to abilities, trying to make them realistic. Always fun! The kids are safe for now, but it seems no one else is. Is Kilika infected, or is this just a lone case?  
**

**To be continued...**


	11. Kilika

**(Chapter 11; Kilika)**

Several things happened at once.

Maelys gasped, Rikku grabbed her blades, and the old man drew a sword and took a deep breath, aiming to call in his allies. Luckily for the trio, however, Nilus managed to clamp his hands over the man's mouth, preventing him from saying anything on the matter. They struggled against each other until Rikku hit the Kilikan on the back of the head with the hilt of a knife. He dropped instantly, and Nilus placed him down gently, making it look as best he could like the man had fallen and tripped.

Only once the adrenaline begun to wear off did they seem to fully comprehend what they'd just witnessed.

"He controls Kilika now too?" Nilus hissed in angered confusion. It couldn't be possible that the man could influence across the sea so quickly; he'd only just taken over Besaid the day before!

"Maybe he just came from Besaid?" Rikku said optimistically, gripping her hands together tightly. "I mean, there were still trade ships going out, right? Maybe he was on one of them, and then ended up here?"

"And maybe he's spread the infection through this place too," Maelys grunted darkly. "Your friend Lulu mentioned it could be spread by touch. Maybe that's how it's here already?"

Rikku shuddered at the thought. Kilika couldn't be just like Besaid. It just couldn't! "Let's just assume that's worst case scenario, huh? Right now we should scout out the town, see if anyone else is like that."

Nilus folded his arms, shooting a look towards the old man knocked out on the floor. "And how do you suppose we do that? Walk up to people and ask them if some psycho's controlling their thoughts? Maybe we could even poke our faces in theirs, get a closer look?" He shook his head, rounding on her with an unamused look. "In case you forgot, Yuna identified Maelys instantly when we got into Besaid. Doubtless our faces are imprinted in their minds now. Face it Rik; that guy recognised us, and we've _never_ seen him before."

The woman stepped forwards in obvious anger, arguing her point. "In case _you've_ forgot, we saved Spira twice! People are going to know our faces!"

"And how often do _we_ get the credit?" he retorted evenly. "Face it, Yuna's always been the one recognised, we sunk into the background. Only the Al Bhed and people we know actively acknowledge us."

"That doesn't mean other people won't recognise us!"

"Oh?" He maintained a look of doubt. "Then explain why his eyes were hollow, and he drew his weapon on us."

"I... I don't know!" Rikku admitted, flustered. "But we shouldn't think _everyone's_ going to be like it! What if we did, ran away, and discovered too late he was the only one? We might be able to find someone here that can help us!"

Nilus looked at her for a moment more, face taught in anger. Eventually he let out a heavy breath and turned away. "_Fine_," he growled, folding his arms pointedly. "We'll check the island out, but I don't like that face we're putting ourselves in obvious danger."

Maelys found herself becoming increasingly annoyed with their arguing. Their voices were getting louder and louder, and doubtless they would end up attracting attention. They couldn't risk it being unwanted, and they needed somewhere to stay.

"Quiet!" she hissed suddenly, bringing the two adults to a standstill. Their mouths were open in shock as they looked at her, noticing the obvious rage building in her eyes. "Do you have any idea how loud you're shouting?" she hissed, her words coming out in haste. "You're _both_ right," she clarified, looking up to the both of them. "We might be in danger, and there might be allies here. But arguing about it here doesn't help!"

Guilty shame spread across their faces. They looked away from each other before glancing back again with downcast eyes and amused smirks.

"What can we say?" Nilus said his thoughts aloud. "Adults argue all the time about stupid things." He chuckled, lowering his eyes to meet Rikku's. "Remember that time we spent the entire day arguing about what we should have for breakfast?"

She giggled, rolling her eyes at the memory. "Boy do I. By the time we finished, we'd missed everything but a midnight snack!" She laughed, twirling a braid around her finger. "Sometimes arguing helps," she explained to Maelys, wondering if she could make the girl understand. "When you're with someone almost every minute of every day, no matter how much you care about each other, you can end up driving each other crazy! But... maybe arguing on a dock at night in potentially dangerous Kilika isn't the best idea," she conceded whilst she scratched at a cheek.

"Let's just find an inn," Nilus suggested with a tired voice, wiping his eyes with the back of his gloved hand. "We're tired and cranky, and we've dealt with far too much today. A night's sleep will do us good."

Rikku nodded enthusiastically. She pulled a pair of binoculars from her pack and pressed them to her face, scanning the area before her. A quick flip of a switch enabled their night vision, coating her vision of the town in a strange green glow. Eventually her eyes settled on a flag waving outside a hut and she let out a victorious shout.

"Found one!" she sung, dancing around in a circle. "Three blocks down, second on the right," she instructed as she near enough skipped along towards their destination.

Nilus sighed wearily. "And why didn't you think of doing that before?" he asked, keeping his arms folded even as he walked.

She shrugged, bouncing forwards another step. "I did, I just didn't say anything. I can't help it that _men_ can't think as far ahead as women can!" She spun round and pulled a face at him, laughing as she dragged Maelys along towards the inn. Even in light of everything she'd seen, she was still maintaining a positive demeanour.

She had to, the woman reflected as she skipped along the wooden boards. When she was younger, her mother had told her that if you maintained a happy outlook on life, nothing would ever manage to defeat you.

She just hoped her mother's advice would continue to hold true.

* * *

They'd managed to get into the inn completely free of any trouble. The woman behind the desk was normal, and everything was well in the room the next morning. The sun rose in the sky behind their room, basking it in an amber glow.

Inside, Nilus and Rikku were already awake, silently wondering what to do with their day. They waited for Maelys to wake, keeping an ear out for any commotion coming to their room. They were on the second floor, so anyone coming after them would have to come up the stairs at them

Which was why it took them completely by surprise when they heard commotion outside.

Maelys was awake instantly, to her credit. She shot up from her bed and to her feet, grabbing her moogle in one swift movement. Rikku pressed a finger to her lips in gesture as they crept to the window of the room, peeking out from the curtains as to see the commotion outside.

It was no wonder why there was so much noise; it seemed like the entire town was out there. They were all crowded around a large circular area, built in for musical events and the like – Rikku knew that Tobli had a hand in bringing forth its construction. When it was used, it became Kilika's bustling market, full of music and life. It was meant to be used as a place of meeting – and it was currently just that.

But this seemed infinitely darker a cause than what it was designed for.

Priests, children, women, men... _everyone _was there. The trio in the inn squinted through the window, watching as the men shook hands with each other, and the women greeted everyone with warm embraces.

Then they noticed the same dock worker they had dealt with the night before. Only after spotting him did it dawn on them that _everyone_ in the crowd had the same hollow eyes. The continual handshakes, kisses and hugs of greeting were being exchanged as freely as gil in a shopping market.

It was no wonder why they had all been infected over night.

"No..." Rikku mumbled in despair into the curtains. It just couldn't be happening again! No doubt they knew that they were currently hiding in the inn, and they were preparing to smoke them out.

When they saw what was actually happening, it knocked them all for six.

The dockworker stood in front of the entire crowd, like a man being sentenced to death. The entire crowd fell silent, until one of the Kilika Beasts – who they barely recognised as Kulukan – stepped forwards, commanding a silent awe of fear.

She stopped and considered the man before her prior to hissing in a voice born of contempt, "You saw the traitors here last night, did you not?"

The man looked away, towards the sea briefly. His gaze returned, eyes as hollow as the rest of the crowd. "I did," he confirmed in an old, weary voice.

"Then why did you not inform another of their arrival?" Kulukan demanded viciously.

"I was knocked out," the man stated simply. Watching them, the hidden trio couldn't help but wonder; how much free will did Saeleos' pawns retain?

The redhead stepped forwards sharply, advancing with more power than her small frame may have suggested. "Then why did you not raise an alarm when you woke?"

The man looked away again. "I assumed they had left. Lady Dona is still locked away in her hut, and there have been no new visitors to the forest. It was the most logical conclusion to make."

"What if they remain?" the woman snapped, causing her silent, sane observers to flinch. "You have failed us," she growled in a darker tone, turning her back on the man. She walked away and picked up a nearby torch, staring intently at the flames. "You know the price you must pay for failure."

"No..." Rikku whispered in horror once more. They couldn't honestly be killing this man because of such an action, could they? Her fists gripped tightly to the curtains, and she found herself wanting nothing more than to leap out of the window and save him, regardless of his indoctrinated state. She leant forwards more, only to find herself pulled back by a strong hand.

"Don't," Nilus murmured in warning to her. He frowned briefly, in either regret or confusion. "We can't risk it. There's too many people out there; we can't guarantee we'd be able to keep them all alive if we attacked." He looked towards the crowd and then back to Rikku, matching her worried eyes with his own regretful orbs. "It's better for one to die than hundreds."

"But!" Rikku attempted to protest. Nilus shook his head once more, gripping onto her shoulder slightly tighter. She bit her bottom lip and looked away, trying to force back the tears she could feel building up. It just wasn't right! They couldn't just wait as this crowd killed the man!

It seemed however, that wasn't the crowd's idea. Kulukan handed the torch to the old man, who stared at the fire as if contemplating the weight of the world. He took the offered torch and stood back, sweeping it out before the crowd in gesture.

"Forgive me for my transgression," he said loudly as he pressed his forehead to the wood. "I have endangered the rule of the Divine One by ignoring his command."

Rikku and Nilus exchanged a look. _'Divine One'?_ Just how self-absorbed was Saeleos?

The man swept the torch once more, turning to face his back to the crowd. "Goddess, hear my plea; grant Lord Saeleos Spira, and let the traitors be damned."

Then he lit himself on fire.

Rikku would have screamed if not for Nilus' hand quickly clamping over her mouth. The old man himself stood there for a moment, seemingly not realising he was ablaze. All of a sudden the light seemed to return to his eyes, and his screams filled the air. The howling yells of a man burning to death echoed around them, and Rikku couldn't bear it. She looked away, feeling a familiar burning in her eyes. She clamped her hands over her ears, trying in vain to drown out the sound. Maelys herself had looked away, unable to watch anymore. Nilus however, watched with a silent prayer on his lips as the man leapt into the sea in desperation.

It was however, too little, too late. The man's screams bubbled into drowning anguish.

Then, there was nothing.

It was an eerie calm, surrounding them on all sides. Rikku forced her eyes open and peeked out of the window in time to see the crowd move away, leaving the man's body behind. It floated away lazily on the sea, discarded like nothing more than a piece of trash.

Rikku walked away, sitting down heavily on the bed. It just kept playing in her head, again and again. She couldn't escape it. Sure, on the pilgrimage, they'd killed Seymour, but Auron had dealt the killing blow. The Guado that hunted them relentlessly had been killed by either Auron's or Kimahri's hands. They'd even killed Jecht inside Sin... but Tidus had pointedly told them it was the end to his story, so he had to deal the final blow... even if Jecht technically was _already_ dead. She'd never actively killed anyone herself, and couldn't ever see herself doing so.

Which was why it hurt so much to think that the man's death was partially her fault.

"He was right," Maelys offered in some form of comfort as she sat next to Rikku. "What Nilus said was right. It's better for one man to die in order for more to be saved, than many to die to save one man." It was a perfect case of Lulu's advice to her; never jump into a fight without considering the consequences.

"Rik..." Nilus whispered in obvious sorrow. He walked over to her and crouched down before the bed, taking her hands in his. "I'm sorry. I know you wanted to save him."

She sniffed, pulling a hand away to wipe at her nose. "I know," she said sullenly. "It was the right choice." _But that doesn't make it hurt any less._

Nilus seemed to understand her unspoken thoughts. He squeezed her hand reassuringly as he stood, glancing out of the window apprehensively. Once he was sure the crowd had dispersed he shook his head, staring at the floor. "They mentioned Dona was still locked up. Still in her hut, locked away from the rest of the madness." He looked up, scratching at the stubble on his chin. "They seemed to have some semblance of free will here. On Besaid, Yuna and the others followed every order like a trained hound. Here, the man seemed to pause and consider things before he spoke."

Rikku scrunched her face up in thought. "Maybe Saeleos' control is weaker the further away he is?" she suggested, pushing herself from the bed and attempting to pull up the walls of her facade. "Yunie and the others were on Besaid with him. Maybe 'cos he's all the way over there means that he can't control them as well?"

"Maybe," Nilus agreed. "Maybe people under his control still even retain a sense of self." He thought more on the idea, wondering just whether or not it could be possible.

Rikku gasped in horror at the thought, whipping round in obvious anguish. "What if they know what they're doing?" She jumped around, biting her nails as she spoke her thoughts. "What if he's controlling their bodies, letting them see exactly what they're doing? He must be destroying them from the inside by making them hunt after their families." She stopped, dropping her gaze to the floor. "Poor Yunie... she's been through so much, and now she might even have to watch as her own body abuses her friends."

"They might not know," Nilus countered in attempt to reassure her. "It could be like a dreamless sleep for them; they might wake up when we release them, completely unaware of what's happened."

Rikku stopped and considered the idea before she frowned again. "But, is that any better? I mean, they'll just wake up and poof-" she threw her arms into the air, "- sorry guys, Lulu's dead, your boss kerploded her. Oh and Wakka, you alienated Vidina, and Yunie and Tidus? You both turned on your own daughter. Not to mention that you hunted us down and tried to kill us who knows how many times!"

Nilus looked away, breathing a sigh in defeat. No matter what argument was made in such a topic, there was no way that it could be perceived as completely good. Everything and action they thought about regarding Saeleos always resulted in some form of defeat.

"He's after the Goddess," Maelys whispered abruptly, causing both Al Bhed to turn and look down at her. The lilac haired girl looked up at them, frowning heavily as she recalled the words of the dock worker. "That man's prayer... or whatever it was, he asked the Goddess for her help."

"That's right!" Nilus exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. He pressed his head out of the window briefly, staring out on the wooden planks below. "He obviously must think we pose _some_ threat to him, right? Otherwise, why else would he be aiming to get the aid of a _God_?"

Rikku brightened instantly. She bounced up on the spot, pleased to hear that they were, at least, proving some threat to the man they despised. "So if we get enough power and people before he gets this Godly help he wants – if he gets it all – we should be able to kick his butt all the way back to his crusty old Zanarkand!" She spun around gleefully, before she laughed sheepishly towards Maelys. "Um, no offence."

The girl shook her head. None had been taken. As hard as it was to get her ten year old mind round the fact, her Zanarkand had been dead for a thousand years. At the very least, it was going to be 'crusty'.

"So we should try and contact people who will be willing to aide us," Nilus suggested as he moved away from the window, standing in the middle of the room with arms folded. "The crowd mentioned before that they have Dona locked up... as much as I'm not a fan of hers... we may very well need her." He rubbed the back of his neck, already dreading the idea of teaming up with her. "We should go free her."

Rikku nodded in enthusiasm. "What about Barthello?" she pointed out. The crowd had never mentioned his name, in fact, the old dock worker had only ever mentioned that Dona was locked away.

Nilus snorted, "If Dona joins us, Barthello's going to be running after us like the loving puppy he is." He shook his head and rubbed two fingers lightly over his eyelids. "Unless of course, he's indoctrinated too. But that may very well get Dona to join our cause."

Maelys looked up at them both. She had no idea who these 'Dona' or 'Barthello' people were, but even she could tell that Rikku and Nilus were not exactly on the best of terms with her. "How many people do you know?" she asked in child-like awe. It always seemed to her that adults knew all the other adults – her mother would often stop in the streets and spend ages talking to people she knew. It seemed the same here, except Rikku and Nilus appeared to know someone in each place they went to.

"Quite a few," Rikku admitted with a toothy smile. "But not all of them we'd consider good friends. But we might be able to get some help from people we know though, and maybe even get a few others to join us." Her eyes lit up in inspiration, and she bounced around excitedly on the spot. "Like Kimahri!"

Nilus shook his head, bringing a downer to her mood. "He wouldn't leave Gagazet. As much as he would like to, in order to save Yuna, I don't think he trusts Garik enough to take care of the mountain and the Ronso in his absence. Garik might be his second in command now, but Ronso can hold a grudge. Remember Biran and Yenke?"

"Oh," Rikku grunted in a complete lack of optimism. She was _so_ looking forward to having Kimahri back on side again! But she could completely understand, Garik had disagreed so much with Kimahri in the past, and even now he sulked like a pup when he failed to get his own way.

"Let's just go get Dona then," Rikku decided optimistically. "And we'll see who else we find along the way!"

"Good plan," Nilus agreed. He stepped towards the door, stopping with his hand halfway to the handle. "You know what," he said as he turned away, using the hand to scratch at his head. "We've paid up already; it's probably safest if we use the window."

Maelys looked at him as if he had gone mad. Jumping from the window did _not_ seem like the sanest of ideas, even at the best of times. She went to argue, her tongue catching in her throat as she remembered what had happened earlier. Doubtless the indoctrinated would be surveying the inn's entrance to see whether or not they left.

Perhaps the insane ideas were also the safest.

"I'll go first," Nilus said as he walked towards the window. He placed a boot on the window ledge and leant forwards, leaning his arms on the walls either side of the window. "When it's clear, I'll call up. Maelys, you jump after that – I'll make sure I catch you." He gave the girl a reassuring smile before he turned his head to Rikku. "Lock our room from the inside and get what you can before you jump. Who knows what we'll need."

The woman laughed nervously, scouting the room quickly for valuables. "Shame we still don't have the dresspheres huh?"

He laughed, pushing himself further out of the window. "Should have thought about that before Shuyin broke them. Then again, I guess he just beat you to it, huh Rik?"

He leapt, and Rikku found her cheeks heating up in shamed fury. She was going to get him back for that, just as soon as she found the perfect time.

* * *

Kilika's streets were alarmingly empty.

After leaving the inn, the three of them had begun to walk through the streets, ready to dive into the nearest hut – or into the ocean, if need be – in order to avoid the indoctrinated. Strangely though, no one was out.

Even the large market place was devoid of life and music. The only sounds came from the woods themselves, and it was hard to tell whether it was the indigenous creatures or people making the noise.

Regardless, it meant that they managed to get to Dona's hut extremely easily.

The simple wooden hut on the second tier of Kilika's small residential area was home to the ex-summoner Dona. Usually there was a modest green rug covering the entrance, functioning as a door. Instead, now there was a collection of large wooden planks tied over the entrance with rope, and an obnoxious brass lock kept it all in place. Even the windows were boarded over, and the roof exit seemed to be covered in much the same way.

Obviously someone had gone through a lot of trouble to keep the woman locked in her hut.

"Obviously they weren't expecting me!" Rikku gloated as she stepped forwards, swinging her arms before her. She crouched down and reached into a pocket, pulling out a small set of picks she forever carried with her. Her tongue poked out of her mouth in concentration as she worked, focused entirely on her work.

The lock sprung open with a satisfying 'click', and Rikku jumped up with a shout of jubilation. They quickly pried the lock off and pulled the ropes down from the hut, causing the wooden planks blocking their entrance to drop down onto the tier below. The impact caused enough sound to wake even Wakka from his deepest sleep, and yet no persons, indoctrinated or otherwise, came to see what had created the noise.

It left them with free reign to enter Dona's hut. They walked in, hands hovering over their weapons just in case the worst would happen. Instead, what they found was something they were never expecting to see.

Dona was sat under the stairs in her hut, arms wrapped around her legs, and slowly rocking back and forth.

Rikku coughed lightly, wondering just whether or not what they were seeing was real. Dona's head whipped round to them, and even as her eyes widened she leapt to her feet, hoping to pretend that they had not seen her state of weakness.

"You," she growled venomously. "Did _not_ see that." She walked towards them all, sunlight from the entrance dancing over the ample caramel skin she showed, her yellow dress barely held together and kept decent by red strings. The red jewel on her forehead seemed dislodged, and her usually glossy black hair seemed to be limp, barely hanging on to her head. Bags were evident under her eyes, and the woman looked like she had seen better days.

Nonetheless, she advanced on the three in her hut, glaring daggers at them all. "What do you think you're doing here? Leave. _Now._"

Rikku found herself lost for words. They were here to help this woman, and she had the audacity to kick them out instantly. "Uh, have you not seen what the people here have done to you?" She tapped the side of her head with a finger. "_They_ locked you in here. _We_ freed you. And you snap at us?"

"Fine," Dona snarled contemptuously. "Thank you." Her teeth grit as if the words pained her to say, and she forced her gaze away from them. "Now leave."

Nilus folded his arms, regarding the woman with an open air of distaste. "Talk about gratitude."

The woman rounded on them with such cold fury it chilled the air around them. "The people here are obviously not themselves. It's a lot more than I can say for the two of you and your new child friend, _traitors!_"

Her words hit them with such unseen force that the Al Bhed felt like they were on the pilgrimage four years ago again, dealing with the aftermath of killing Seymour. No one had called them traitors since then, and they never thought anyone would again.

"'Traitors'?" Rikku repeated incredulously, taking a step towards the woman. "Just what on Spira makes you think we're _traitors_?"

Dona looked at them and scoffed. "Puh-lease, don't try to deny it. Everyone in Spira knows about it now."

Nilus looked as blank as the walls covering Dona's hut. They truly had no idea what she was talking about. "Knows about what Dona? We haven't done anything."

She scoffed once more, stepping towards them with anger in her eyes. Then she snarled four words that rocked them all to the very depths of their beings.

"You killed Lady Lulu."

**

* * *

Trivia:**

**~ none  
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Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a  
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* * *

_

**Ooh, and so the plot thickens. Hopefully I got Dona right, she _is_ a complex character, it's just that it's so usually hidden behind arrogance and a high opinion-of-self it's hard to make her seem normal, and not just a stuck up bitch with no care for anyone but herself.**

**To be continued...**


	12. Accusations of the Devil

**(Chapter 12; Accusations of the Devil)**

They'd misheard her. What she said just couldn't have been true. There was no way in Spira it could be believed by _anyone!_ It was just wrong, and they wished they could forget the words that had been snarled at them.

_They _killed Lulu.

It was wrong! Saeleos had killed her in cold blood, and now they were getting the blame.

"Run that by us again?" Nilus asked as more of a demand. They couldn't believe their ears, and were desperately hoping she'd say something different this time.

"_Please_," Dona scoffed venomously. "The whole world will know about it by now. Don't try to deny it."

"But we didn't do it!" Rikku shrieked in indignation. "Just where did you hear this, huh? What sorta creep would spread that sort of thing around?"

Dona scoffed once more, but answered her question regardless. "People have been spreading it round since the last trade ship came in from Besaid the other day. They said they saw you kill her in cold blood, and then flee the island. Yuna herself is to give a sphere broadcast soon to confirm it all too, so don't bother denying it."

Rikku's eyes nearly bulged from her skull. Anyone who knew them would know every flaw in all of that! Yuna always tried to stay out of the public eye; she wouldn't go anywhere near another spherecast after Paine tricked her into giving an interview to Shelinda two years ago!

"This news started getting spread around the other day?" Nilus asked, forcing himself to keep an even tone. It was obvious there was anger and fear hidden within, and he fidgeted his feet in an obvious attempt to distract himself. "Just _exactly_ how many days ago was it?"

"More questions?" Dona sneered, turning her nose up at them. "I should do Spira a favour and report you to someone."

"Except no one here's is their self, are they?" Nilus interjected with a humourless smile.

She turned her gaze away sharply, refusing to confirm his suspicions. She sighed heavily, knowing she was beaten. "Two days," she said in palpable annoyance. "Two days ago the word was spread."

Nilus nodded, sensing he had his foot in the proverbial door. He pressed on, "And how many days ago did people start acting strangely?"

The woman sent another scowl their way, but answered regardless, "Two days."

"Coincidence much?" Rikku said patronisingly. She bounced on the balls of her feet, sensing they could prove their innocence. "Everyone in Besaid's the same. They all have hollow eyes and follow commands given by their commander without question. Surely you must have heard everything that happened outside earlier!" she shrieked, referring to the dock worker's horrific suicide. She felt low for using it to her advantage, but she found she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. "You live here; you tell us if people usually do that!"

Dona's expression softened, conceding the point. People never acted like that in Kilika; she'd known something was strange for a long time, but had been loath to admit it to herself.

"They're under the control of someone called Saeleos," Nilus explained softly, choosing his words carefully. "You yourself were a summoner Dona. You know that summoning was controlling the will of the fayth's spirit in battle. What he's doing is like that, except he's controlling the whole person, and entire towns and villages at once. _He's_ the one that killed Lulu! He kidnapped her son to use against her, and when she fought back, he killed her!"

Rikku cast a sidelong glance at Nilus, hearing the strain in his voice. It was obvious he was forcing himself to remain calm, to stop the grief he felt from flooding forth. She looked back to Dona, focusing on her with imploring eyes. "You can see what's happening here Dona. We're trying to stop it. We tried to save Besaid, but Saeleos stopped us, and Lu paid the price." She stopped and took a deep breath, knowing her next few words were precious. "We need help to stop him controlling the whole of Spira. Dona, we need _you_ to help us stop him."

Time seemed to stop around them. Dona's eyes widened before they narrowed again, and her mouth opened and closed as she attempted to speak. She finally sighed, shaking her head with a hand pressed to her temple. "I can't," she told them in an even tone. "I'm..." A hand drifted to her stomach, pressing over it gently. Rikku's eyes widened as she noticed the slight swelling beginning to show, and found herself wanting to squeal in excitement, despite the situation.

"You're...?" Nilus tilted his head in confusion, not following the woman's subtle gesture.

Rikku shook her head and made a variety of exaggerated hand gestures, looking remarkably crazy. Nilus and Maelys both stared at her with complete confusion, and Dona sighed once more.

"Pregnant," the ex-summoner supplied with annoyance. Obviously she didn't truly feel like sharing this with them.

"Oh!" Nilus nodded instantly, nodding his head vigorously. He smiled at her before he looked at Rikku, repeated her hand gestures with disbelief. The woman shrugged heavily in reply, a sheepish grin set over her face.

Maelys looked between them, feeling slightly left out of the conversation. She understood fully well that Dona was pregnant, but didn't fully comprehend why she couldn't help them. Her young mind couldn't work out why pregnant women were often treated easier by other people, given advantages over others, like seats on packed transport. To her, it seemed like any female could say she was pregnant, and reap the benefits it brought.

She wondered whether she could claim pregnancy, and whether or not it would work. Not fully understanding what made people pregnant, her mind pushed the thought away, instead bringing the one concern she'd wanted to voice since meeting Dona, "Who's Barthello? And where is he?"

Dona's face dropped instantly in sorrow. "Gone," she whispered with a shake of her head. "He was one of the first to change." She looked away, staring at the windows of her hut – even though they were still boarded with wood. "They came here, seeking to change us both. He stopped them from getting myself, but was indoctrinated in the process." Her head snapped back to the three before her and she sighed wearily. She reached under a desk and pulled out a chair, sitting on it as she gestured for them to sit on the bed.

The woman waited until her impromptu guests sat down before she continued her tale. "After they changed Barthello, they tried to change me too. However... nothing happened." She scrunched her face up in thought, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't know why, and I wish I did. But when they realised they couldn't, they used Barthello as a bargaining chip. I should have let them put him out of my misery," she said, lacking the usual loving annoyance for the man her voice bore. Instead, it was now forlorn, and completely lacking the scathing sarcasm expected. "They locked me in here with enough supplies to last a week, and locked Barthello in the temple. If I tried to escape at any time during the week, they'd kill him. If I remained, they would let me live in Kilika – under supervision."

"Escape and condemn him to death, or stay and live on as a slave?" Nilus summarised in disbelief. "They're not losing control; they're _evolving._ Developing into a society that can make decisions, yet still remains under the control of Saeleos."

"But it's only been two days!" Rikku exclaimed in horror. "That can't be possible!"

"Magic in my time was stronger," Maelys whispered in reminiscence. "People could level buildings with a wave and force the tides back with a sneeze. Our machina was advanced, but so _ancient_ compared to our magical talents." She stopped and looked up, trying to focus on the Al Bhed either side of her. "You said the Guado are the most powerful mages now? How strong are the strongest?"

They considered the thought as they bit their lips. Who _was_ the strongest Guado mage there was? They thought of Seymour, but were unable to list him as the strongest. After all, he was dead and Sent.

"Most likely their leader," Dona supplied for them. "Tromell, was it? The Guado leaders always have control over the Farplane. They can stabilise it for people to walk into, so are most definitely powerful." She pulled her hair back and rearranged her ponytail, attempting to make herself look more focused. "An educated guess would say the most powerful could level the likes of Besaid and Kilika with a single thought."

Maelys nodded, understanding her words. Neither Nilus nor Rikku looked shocked by the news, instead rather worried. Given that she herself had heard nothing about it, and the acceptance of the fact by her friends, Maelys assumed it was common knowledge that was never spoke about. She shook her head, playing with the bangles on her wrist. "In my time, the teachers were more powerful than that. I remember my mother saying that they could soon create a powerful armour that was invincible."

_Sin._

The girl was before Sin's time, and her story seemed to tie in so perfectly. Sin was invincible only because it would regenerate and use the new aeon to fuel itself. The armour that was Sin would grow anew, and take another era to destroy. It was truly amazing how far in advance her Zanarkand seemed to have planned, and how badly the plans went wrong in their haste to use them.

"You keep saying your time," Dona said in both interest and anxiety. "Why is that? Are you unsent?" She moved to stand from her chair, meaning to defend herself if the girl became a threat.

"She's not unsent," Nilus said quickly in her defence, his mind racing with a possible explanation. "She was frozen in stone by the Fayth; they knew something like this was going to happen. She was left in order to help us, in case the Fayth were no longer in Spira."

Dona stopped in her tracks, eyes wide in wonder. She eventually sat down and nodded her acceptance. While she didn't know the full extent of the Fayth's power – only Yuna and her closest friends knew about Tidus' existence as a dream of the Fayth – she knew there was much about them she didn't understand. They were beings that kept great magical power even after a thousand years – she couldn't say Nilus' explanation wasn't true.

Maelys nodded, understanding she had to carry on Nilus' improvised lie. "I'm from Zanarkand originally. Just before Bevelle went to war with us, I was approached by Yu Yevon. He told me there were beings that said only I could help a distant future." She shrugged, pulling on a twirl of hair. "I was an orphan, and had no one there for me. So I decided to help in any way I could."

Dona nodded, accepting her explanation as truth. The ex-summoner completely missed Rikku's wink and thumbs up at the girl, as her face had dropped to the floor. It was slowly making her realise that there were so many more people out there that were willing to sacrifice themselves without confirmed proof of their victory. She herself had felt the same, four years past. But now, with the new life growing in her womb, she was filled with another belief. She would do anything to _live_, in order to ensure the child growing within her would get to see the world for itself. She silently admired the girl before her for her conviction to a cause she herself believed in so strongly not so long ago. However, she knew without a doubt she did not want the child she would birth to follow such a path. This was a new Spira, and many were coming round to the Al Bhed's beliefs that sacrifices didn't have to be made.

"Saeleos _is_ strong," Maelys confirmed in a distant tone. "Controlling groups of people of such small sizes would have been easy for some teachers of my time. It's perfectly possible for someone with such strong powers to develop them at faster speeds."

"So we really need to get as strong as we can, as fast as we can," Nilus concluded, crestfallen at the decreasing amount of time they had left. He looked up at Dona, who seemed to be contemplating something of dire importance. "Dona," he said, grasping her attention. His voice was soft, and completely barren of the malice it held for her earlier. "Is there nothing you can do to help us? We'll help you rescue Barthello if there's some way you can help us take down the man responsible for all of this."

The woman looked away, considering the idea for a moment. Still in thought, she nodded, her face distant. "There is something I can do," she confirmed, focusing her gaze back on them. "It might not help you directly, but it is what I can offer."

"What is it?" Rikku asked, bouncing with excited anticipation. Whatever the woman could do to help, whether she was actively helping to fight Saeleos, or merely working in the background, would certainly be welcomed with open arms.

"I can offer sanctuary," she stated simply. "Even if we can't free Barthello from this control we can clear out the temple they hold him in. The Youth League barricaded the forest and New Yevon chose to stay within the temple two years past for the exact same reason; it's a perfect tactical barricade. The village and temple can be defended separately, with the forest's fiends guarding the path in between." She stood and folded her arms, turning to face the outside world. "If we can't free the entirety of Kilika, I can devise a strategy to defend the temple from the controlled. The temple can be used as a sanctuary if anywhere else in under the same control as Kilika is now."

"Is there enough space there?" Nilus asked, fully considering the idea. It was, in fact, brilliant. They hadn't thought other places may be indoctrinated, and that some people may be uncontrolled. If they had a safe haven to go to, they could amass there. And maybe even build the beginnings of a resistance to Saeleos' forces. "What if somewhere like Luca gets taken over?"

Dona's mouth moved silently as she made a few quick calculations. "There is room for one hundred people in the nun's and monk's chambers each. In the whole temple itself, we could probably support three hundred people at most. Anymore and food would be almost non-existent, as would personal space. However, if we managed to cure the town too, I would suggest we could look after up to a thousand people. Either way, you can rest assure that it can be used as sanctuary for yourselves too."

Rikku nodded, her heart light with the news. At least they had a good plan for the people who needed to escape indoctrinated areas. "What about the Spiran Guard base here?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. It still existed, so surely people would still be there. "What's up with them? They in the same situation?"

"I don't know," Dona admitted with a shake of her head. "The last ship that left for there was over three days ago. No return has been made yet. Hopefully it means everything is normal there, but without actively checking it, we cannot be sure."

Rikku bit her bottom lip. "Maybe we should check there after we leave here?"

"It's completely isolated," Maelys pointed out, having been shown the location by Rikku on the walk to Dona's. "If a trap has been lain out, it would be impossible to escape as easily as we have so far."

Nilus considered both ideas with a heavy head. "We'll decide once we've cleared Kilika. If we can only save the temple, it would probably be best to leave it, considering the people may advance there next. But it could be used as a safe passage to bypass the town. On the other hand, if we save the town, the base might have infected people that could re-infect everyone. Or it could be under complete lockdown, and we might not be able to get anywhere near there."

"Consider it later," Dona advised snappishly. "We need to get to the temple as fast as we can. From what I've heard from conversations near my hut, the forest was locked down again yesterday; supposedly two creatures arrived on a boat from Luca that couldn't be controlled. They fled into the forest, so the indoctrinated locked them there, hoping the fiends would deal with them."

It brought a good question to mind which they hadn't considered before. "Is Luca like this too?" Maelys asked. She hadn't seen it herself, but had heard stories from her time, that it was the largest city after Zanarkand and Bevelle. Given the way they had talked about it here, it seemed like Luca was now the most popular. If it had been taken over, it would mean their chances were reduced drastically.

"I'm not sure," Dona admitted, folding her arms once more. "Every ship to Luca from Besaid has to stop at Kilika first. No ships have left for or arrived from Luca in the past four days, and none are scheduled to for the next three days."

"Wait," Nilus interjected with confusion lacing his tone. "I thought a boat left every three days between the three? It takes two days to get to Kilika from either; there should have been more in that time."

"The harvest season has passed," Dona explained airily, growing agitated with further delaying getting to Barthello. "And Kilikan silks take a week to make. To save money, trade ships only come once a week from Luca, though Besaid's ships still run as regularly as ever, until their harvest season passes. Now, have you got anymore questions, or should we head towards the temple?"

"We're ready," Rikku told her with a discrete roll of her eyes. "How do we get there though?"

Dona looked towards them, silently glad they were finally advancing. "Since the lockdown, people have been guarding the gates to the forest. We can either hope we can find a boat we can row around the barricade, or someone's going to have to distract the guards long enough for everyone else to pass." Her nostrils flared and she readjusted the jewel on her head, placing it perfectly again. "Obviously it won't be the same as the last time we tried this. They'll kill Barthello if they see me, and given the lengths they've gone to in order to brand you traitors, they'd most likely kill you on sight."

"So we need to outrun them, or ultimately distract them," Rikku summarised, grasping her hands apprehensively. "I'll do it," she elected as she stood up. "I'm the fastest one here, I can get away from them quickly enough to stop them turning me."

"What about the gates themselves?" Nilus argued, standing to face her. He didn't like the plan, and had no qualms about pointing it out. "We can't leave them open forever. What if we just trap you in town with them?"

"I can make it in time!" she said with optimism. Although they may have been willing to risk their lives earlier to save their friends, the idea of sacrifice was far from their minds now. They would do this without sacrificing anyone else, they'd all live to see it through. The worst case scenario would be that they wouldn't return, but they sure as hell weren't going to plan on their deaths anymore. The pilgrimage was long behind them, and sacrifice was a last-ditch attempt.

"Close the gates behind you and run into the forest," Rikku commanded. "Even if I don't make it past the gates in time, keep on running. I can dive into the sea and swim my way around."

"No," Nilus said sternly. He placed his gloved hand on her shoulder, stopping her from moving any further away. "You're not endangering yourself like this. There's got to be some other way!"

She smiled, closing her eyelids gently as she felt his words. "There isn't," she whispered sincerely. "Trust me, I'll make it back. I've still gottta kick Saeleos' butt for everything he's done!" She winked, and without any further prompt she ran out of the hut, leaving everyone behind in bewildered silence.

"Let's not waste this opportunity whilst we have it," Dona advised, walking out of the hut now herself. "Her distraction will be worthless if we do not utilise it."

Nilus followed after, nodding for Maelys to come with. As long as it remained only a distraction, it would be worth it. If it became anything else, his hastily made leadership would most likely fall apart, and their quest to save Spira would doubtless be twisted into a self-destructive course of revenge.

* * *

It seemed like half the population of Kilika were standing guard before the gates leading to the temple. Hiding in the shadows of a nearby hut, Rikku couldn't help but wonder if maybe she'd jumped into something that was _way_ over her head.

Regardless, she had to press on.

Swallowing every ounce of courage she had, the woman stepped forwards, heart beating at ridiculous speeds beneath her breast. She had one chance to make this right; one chance to make sure she kept her life.

With arrogance borrow from Dona the woman walked forwards, plastering a huge grin on her face as she approached the crowd. A loud silence met her as eyes studied her shape, and Rikku found herself feeling very much like a grand prize on one of the Calm Land's stall games.

Now wasn't exactly a time for nerves, however.

"Hey, um, you guys looking for me?" she asked in the most innocent voice she could muster. With her hands placed behind her back and the toe of her shoe pressing into the wooden planks, Rikku was sure she looked the picture of innocence.

The crowd however, seemed to think otherwise. There were whispers of 'traitor,' alongside others Rikku hadn't heard in a _long_ time – most notably 'heathen.' All before someone let out a war cry and the Al Bhed turned tail and fled, running past Dona's hut and further into the town.

If nothing else, this was fast becoming her new form of exercise.

* * *

"Let's go," Dona said as the crowd rushed past. The three of them left her hut quickly, making good time to the gates at the start to Kilika's forest. It took only a moment for them to activate the mechanical lock and for the gate to wind open.

"Let's go," the woman ushered impatiently, wanting nothing more than to rush to find her betrothed. "Now!"

"Not yet!" Nilus retorted with a hiss. "Give it a minute, I want to make sure Rik makes it here."

Dona scoffed, walking towards him before she slashed at the air. "You're just endangering us all the more. You can stay here and wait for your pretty blonde all you like, but will it be worth it when we become one of them?"

The man grit his teeth, forcing a feeling of calm through himself. He needed to keep her on side, and thus had to make sure he didn't lose his temper with her. "Not yet."

"She wouldn't leave us," Maelys supplied in endorsement to Nilus' view. "She would wait as long as she could to help us. We can do the same for her."

* * *

Damn these people were fast!

Rikku's lungs screamed for air as she continued to race away from the people intent on skinning her alive. Just why exactly had she volunteered to this again?

Her feet beat down heavily on the wooden planks, splashes of sea water rising as the wood sunk into the depths below. She couldn't keep running forever, she needed to double time back to the gate.

Her eyes went wide as she scanned the environment for anything she could find. A scream found its way out f her throat as she tripped, stumbling on the wooden planks that made up Kilika. Her arms flailed in every direction, and she found herself supported by a rug nailed over a hut's doorway.

With nimbleness honed by her years as a thief she leapt into the hut and out of the opposite window. Her arms reached out for another rug to support herself, resulting in her swinging round, past the hut, and onto the boards behind the mob chasing after her.

With a heavy thud she landed, successfully catching the attention of the unruly mob.

"Oh... cred!" she wailed in a panting breath, forcing herself to run yet again. Her arms beat passed her sides again and again as her body tried to will more air into her lungs. She could feel the ache building in her throat, the feeling of bile and blood as she needed to cough, to fill her lungs with air and not breathing's waste products.

She had to run, she had to see this journey through to the end. She wasn't going to become some pawn of Saeleos, hell bent on destroying her friends! She certainly wasn't going to be beaten down by a crowd calling her a traitor and a heathen! Never since the days of Yevon had she been called that, and she'd be damned if she was going to be killed by people screaming it at her!

She was the daughter of the leader of the Al Bhed.

She was the cousin of High Summoner Yuna.

She'd saved the world _twice_, God damn it!

Indignation fuelled her cells, fuelling her with renewed adrenaline. She would outrun these all, and save them from their enslavement.

Her goal was within her sights.

Closer, ever closer she ran, seeing the gate still open. A scream sprung from her lips as Kilikan guards began to flank the gates, attempting to press through. She saw magic thrown at them all, pressing them back, and the gates beginning to close.

She had to get there in time!

It was only a few steps away. She heard her name called over her panting breath and the mobs' screams as she ran, pushing past her exhaustion. The gate was closing, and she had to make it as quickly as she could.

She was there, almost there. Her hand to cross the wooden gates, and she could taste the sweet air of the jungle –

_Bang!_

– And she ran straight into the wooden gates protecting her from it.

The cry escaped her lips and reached her ears before she even knew she'd screamed it. "No!" she wailed, beating her fists on the beams blocking her entrance.

Noises of murmuring began to fill her ears, and ever so slowly she turned around, finding the unruly mob of hollow eyed people staring at her. Her mouth twisted into a cute, innocent smile that she prayed would help her out of the situation.

A person on the edge of the mob grabbed a nearby torch and passed it along, the fire exchanged hand-by-hand until the woman found herself staring at the orange flames pressed under her nose.

Oh cred indeed.

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**Trivia:**

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Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a  
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**To be continued...**


	13. Dangers of the Forest

**(Chapter 13; Dangers of the Forest)**

"We've got to move!"

Dona was becoming increasingly frantic with the decreasing amount of time they had. The villagers were forever edging closer towards the gates, thankfully not having seen them yet. But they would soon, and Rikku was still playing distraction.

"Not yet!" Nilus hissed stubbornly. He leant a hand against the wooden wall and poked his head out, desperately scanning the crowds for any sign of the bubbly woman.

"Think with your head, not your heart!" Dona snarled, snatching his arm away from the wall. She glared up at him, desperately wanting to get away from the situation. She'd already been attacked by them all once, and even though it had failed then, nothing could say for certain that it would fail again. She did _not_ want to become a mindless drone anymore than she wanted to lose the baby she carried. If they waited too long, she would doubtless fall victim to both scenarios.

"What if it were Barthello?" Nilus snapped, turning to face her. "What if he was the one playing chicken with a mob? Would you leave him to be torn apart?" He glared daggers at her, diverting his attention completely from the gates. "Well, would you?"

Dona's mouth snapped open and shut like a fish on dry land. She huffed and turned away from him, straightening her hair once more. She wouldn't admit defeat. If they weren't willing to follow her advice, she'd leave them to be foolish and encounter their doom whilst she found Barthello.

"Rikku!" Maelys cried. She could see the woman sprinting breathlessly towards them all; a crowd of people wishing to murder her chasing behind. She gasped and leant forwards, only to scream and leap backwards as a hand swiped at her. A person's head rounded the gates, face dripping with venom and anger. All it needed was a steady stream of drool and to be slightly rotting, and she'd feel like she was in a zombie movie-sphere.

"Maelys!" Nilus gasped as he pulled her back. He leapt forwards and snapped his boot in the man's face, knocking him sprawling a few feet back. Unable to reach and use his bow in such close proximities to everyone he snarled as his fists lit up with purple lightning. It crackled over each palm, exploding with virulent force at his slightest whim.

More and more the villagers pressed at them. Maelys grunted and fired small beams of psychic energy as best she could, staggering them backwards. Behind them, Dona summoned her staff into her hands; a beautiful yet deadly creation. Ankh charms dangled on chains from it's end, and the golden body of the staff ended in a brilliant silver blade adorned with small jewels. The woman breathed deeply as she focused, forcing the magic to follow her will and command. Fire burnt from the tip of her weapon and engulfed people in the crowd, sending them screaming into the nearby water.

"Rikku!" Nilus shouted over the crowds, straining to see over the top of the faces. He grunted and punched an elderly man away from himself, snapping his head towards Dona. "Shut the gates!"

She huffed, obviously not wanting to take an order, but began to close them all the same. Sweat beaded on her brow as she worked the heavy contraption, pushing the gates shut ever so slowly. She cursed silently at their turn of events, knowing they could have avoided this had they shut them earlier.

The gates snapped shut with a loud thud, and she heard Nilus and Maelys both scream Rikku's name. Her head whirled round to them both, finding them to be pale and stricken, clenching at the wooden fence in disbelief.

And despite everything, her stomach flipped and grew icy cold as she heard her scream from the other side of the fence.

* * *

Rikku stared down at the flaming torch pressed underneath her nose. Instinctively she reacted, reaching out and snatching the weapon from the man before her. She snarled and slammed the base of the torch into his skull, knocking him to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

Gripping the torch in her hands like the Holy Grail itself, her mind raced as she thought of a plan. "Uh-uh-uh!" she tutted, shaking her head as she pressed the flames near the wooden floor. "Take another step and I'll set fire to the entire boardwalk here. Do you really want me that badly you'll let the whole of Kilika catch fire?"

Kulukan emerged from the crowd, smug smile on her face. "Would you actually let Kilika burn so that _you_ can escape?"

Rikku stared a moment, mouth open in indecision. She finally sighed and hung her head in defeat, casting the torch into the sea nearby. As much as she _really_ did not want to become a resident of the Farplane anytime soon, she also did not want to be the cause for people's souls departing for it.

"As I thought," Kulukan gloated. She turned her head towards the crown and promptly nodded forwards. "Eliminate her."

Rikku winced, shrinking backwards in preparation for the end. She would have liked to have fought, but she knew it would only result in killing innocents. A feeling of strange calm passed over her, and she found herself strangely accepting of her fate.

It was only when the floor before her exploded that she realised she was still alive.

A shower of wood, splinters and electricity danced all around her, making the woman look around in wonder. Her eyes caught sight of Nilus stood atop the gates, eyes dancing with fury and hands engulfed in familiar purple lightning. She watched, transfixed, as waves of red mana began to swirl around him, pulsing with every raged breath he took. Her eyes snapped to the middle of the crowd, where another amalgamation of mana began to grow, basking everyone in an eerie incandescent light. She heard him snap his fingers not moment before the mana exploded, knocking screaming villagers into the sea and across the planks, leaving a large, gaping and slightly charred hole in the wooden floor.

As the smoke cleared, Rikku breathed a sigh of relief. She was only dimly aware of her legs trembling beneath her as her brain screamed bloody murder at her. She was not ready to die, whatever she may have thought moments before. She would see the journey through and reunite everyone with their family and friends, so long as her own friends watched her back. She smiled and looked up at Nilus, perched above her like a guardian angel and began to wonder; just how innocent were the people under Saeleos' control? If these ones here had evolved with his control, were their actions only a result of their personalities prior to their possession?

With that thought in mind, she reached a startling mental blockade; if they had such thoughts, did they truly deserve saving?

* * *

Nilus leapt down from the gates and watched as Rikku bounced through them and happily patted Maelys on the head. He wasn't sure whether to hug her, kiss her, or just kick her in the shins for being so stupid. All was resolved, however, when she reached up and pinched his cheek, smiling her trademark smile.

"I'm very pleased you've made it back, but can we _please_ make our way towards the temple?" Dona huffed, standing with her back to them all. She made way without them before they could even reply, leaving the trio with no options other than to chase after the woman.

Maelys found that Rikku and Nilus' mumbles became nothing but background noise as she saw the extravagance of Kilika's jungle. Trees stretched out towards the skyline, showering the forest in patches of cool shade and leafy floors. Beyond she could make out a building that towered above even the trees, and even before she entered the forest she could see the large pieces of ancient buildings that could be found within the wilderness.

"Hey kid." Nilus caught her shoulder, stopping her from walking onto the pathway. She turned and looked up at him with confusion and annoyance, wondering just what she had to learn about this time.

"Careful where you walk," he instructed her. "This whole place is filled to the brim with fiends, most of which have completely adapted to the forest. You're more than likely to step on something you don't want to; some fiends leave little traps lying around on the floor to weaken their prey. Keep an eye on where you're walking; you could easily end up poisoned, asleep or anything."

Rikku nodded, rubbing her arms to fight back a shudder. "The worst is stepping on a scent that _attracts_ fiends. It's bad enough at the best of times, but this whole forest is _filled_ with snakes and spiders!" She shuddered and the mere thought of them, shaking her head and letting out a disgusted sound. "The last thing you want is to be hunted by a pack of huge, creepy, hairy spiders!"

Maelys stomped on the ground childishly. "I'm not afraid of spiders," she informed them.

"You will be of these," Nilus replied with a chuckle. "They're at least the size of you, so I'd think twice about going up and punching it in the face. You just might come back missing a hand – or a head."

"There are pitfall traps in the forest too," Dona informed them as she walked to a stop. "A number of residents had gone missing a few months ago. We found them later – at least, those that were still alive. It seems a large fiend has begun to create a series of tunnels beneath the forest, though they're large enough for us to walk in without problem. If you fall into a pitfall, the only way you're getting back out is to find the exit and doubtless fight the fiend who has made it its nest."

"Oh, goodie." Nilus rolled his eyes. "Yet more ways for Spira to try and kill us. Makes you wonder how we've managed to live this long as a species, doesn't it?"

Dona shrugged. "Life is a continual test, allowing us to be prepared to face the harsher difficulties. If we did not encounter fiends when we were young, we would have died instantly on our respective pilgrimages." She began to walk again, brushing a large leaf away from herself to walk into the jungle. Almost instantly the humid air hit, making all of them the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Kilika's forest was a tropical haven, filled with harsh heat and insane storms. The humid air made them all fill hot and sticky, though Dona knew the warning signs of the jungle well.

"It's going to rain in under an hour," she told them, sweeping hair from her face. "Kilika's forest can alternate between high heat and heavy rain; the fiends will change depending on the weather conditions too."

Rikku nodded, bouncing around a large tree, searching for any signs of treasure or threat. She'd only been here a few times before, only when in search of spheres. She joined the pilgrimage far after they had stopped in Kilika, though had visited the town before and after Sin struck. Aside from Dona, everyone present had never encountered Kilika's forest in its stormy conditions. "What set of fiends are stronger?" she asked, staring in amusement at a small butterfly feeding from a flower.

"They're equally as," she told them, placing a hand heavily on her hip. "The main difference is the basis of their attacks; in the rain, they favour water and thunder based assaults. The ragora and other plant-fiends also heal slowly. The rain makes the fiends more challenging, yet at the same time masks our scents from them." She walked forwards a step, stopped and shrieked with a jump as a lizard leapt at her.

Snarling and hissing, it skulked on all fours, creeping up to the woman. She leapt back and summoned her staff into her hands, glowering down at the small fiend. It looked up and licked the air, screeching inhumanely at them all. Three more skulked out from the shadows, followed by two shimmering creatures composed only of golden gems. They hovered silently in the forest, though a distant song chimed from the jewels that composed them entirely.

Rikku drew her knives and spun them in her hands. She sized up each opponent before shooting a momentary glance at Dona. "I thought you said our scents would be masked?"

She rolled her eyes. "I did. I said it was only when it was raining. Do you _see_ any rain?"

The Al Bhed grinned shamelessly. The ground before her erupted, sending a geyser of boiling water spilling over an elemental. It shrieked and wailed before it collapsed in a mixture of pyreflies, and the thief's eye caught the small beads of water dripping from Nilus' hand. She winked and turned back to Dona, indicating the geyser's falling droplets. "Near enough."

Dona huffed and slammed her staff into the skull of a lizard. Fire burned over the creature's scaly skin, sending it scampering away from her with primal fear. She smirked and threw a hand outwards, casting a brilliant ethereal transparent shield over herself as another lizard leapt at her. It bounced harmlessly off her invisible shield and collapsed on top of another, knocking them both away in a tumble of dust, claws and teeth.

Rikku charged forth and slammed the hilt of a knife into the back of a lizard. It shrieked and snapped its neck round instinctively, perfectly decapitating itself on the woman's blade. She smirked and kicked the fiend's dissolving body away, knocking it into the lightning that made way for her. She smiled at the elemental long enough for something to catch her eye. Instantly, she was upon the creature. She ducked left and right, confusing it completely before leaping plain over the creature. Her eyes lit up with delight as she glanced over the creature, long enough to spot what she was after. Every tiny shimmer of light caught her eye until –

_There!_

- her hand plunged into the fiend's body, ignoring the physical state as she found what she was looking for. She flipped backwards gracefully as she clutched the small golden gem as her prize, ducking quickly enough for another lizard to leap onto Dona's magical shield.

Nilus frowned as unspoken, ancient words chanted through his brain. He slashed a hand upwards as another geyser erupted underneath the remaining elemental, sending it shrieking back to the Farplane. He turned and drew his bow, smacking a yowling lizard backwards with destructive force. It bared its fangs and hissed at him, long enough for him to aim and shoot an arrow straight down its throat. It shrieked a horrible, choked scream before it erupted into pyreflies, shocking its two remaining allies.

Maelys stared at them both. They circled around her, tongues tasting the air as they dared her to make the first move. She remembered the advice she had received, these fiends were stronger than normal, able to work well with their own. They were lizards, and she had no idea how to combat them. Her mind reached out and probed one of the fiends, searching for any weakness she could exploit. The girl started, meeting unexpected resistance within the fiend's composure. She growled and glanced at the creature, swearing revenge. All she could gather was that they were resistant to magic.

No matter.

She exhaled deeply, clutching her moogle's head tightly in one hand, body in the other. She knew the basics of how to defend herself with a weapon. Her father was a member of Zanarkand's local guard; he had taught the girl the most basic things she could learn at her young age. She thought of his face; the dark amber eyes and hair so dark it was almost black, but still glinted purple in the light. People often told her she was her father's daughter... it was time to prove them right.

Pain spiked and flared through her leg, snapping the girl back to reality. One glance told her a lizard was attempting to gnaw her leg through. She clutched the moogle's head tighter and lashed out with experienced speed. The sound of metal hit just before the fiend's head dropped to the floor, shrieking it's death wails. She ignored it and turned back round, thrusting the moogle's head into the final lizard that stalked her. It shrieked and backpedalled, blood and gore oozing from it's face. She leapt at it, and in a flurry of movement it fell to the floor dead.

The pyreflies burst from the fiend, hovering and humming around her. She looked and them and frowned, sliding the moogle's head back into its body. She turned to face her companions, aware of their stares of interest.

Rikku was the first to break the silence. "What... what kinda weapon is _that_?" She gestured to the moogle hanging from the girl's hip, unable to find the scar the doll's decapitation should have shown.

Maelys patted the moogle and gave Rikku a ghost of a smile. "I created it from the weapons in that man's ship."

Nilus crouched down before her, a tentative smile on his lips. "Can I see it?" he asked, holding a hand out. The girl looked away, not certain before deciding she could show them her trusted blade. She picked the doll up and set it down lengthways in the man's hands, where he inspected it with something like childish enthusiasm.

He clutched the doll's head and pulled, whistling at the sound of scraping steel it produced. Attached to the head was a six-inch blade made from steel, and the sheath was hidden brilliantly within the moogle's body. He lifted it up to the light and caught his reflection, whistling once more. "An iai sword hidden in a moogle," he whispered, sheathing the weapon, returning it to its innocent form. "I gotta say, I'd never have thought of that." He handed it back to her and caught her eyes. "How'd you learn to use one?"

She snatched the doll back. "My father taught me." Her tone made it clear the matter would not be pressed further. She went to walk away, wincing as pain flared through her injured leg.

"Stand still," Dona commanded, bending down level to the girl. A soft white glow emanated from her fingertips as she pressed them gently to the girls' wound. Dona had to admit, she was impressed by Maelys' ability to hide the pain. Most girls her age would have been bawling or demanding attention for the pain, and yet here she was, pretending it didn't happen. She stood with a slither of respect for the girl forming in her heart. Placing the thought within the furthest reaches of her mind, she indicated the darker parts of the forest. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

None of them were truly aware of when it had happened, but they were gradually hearing more and more whispers within the forest. It had started sometime after the first clap of thunder, and even though the tropical rain caused the most noise around them all, they'd still hear the occasional voice within the trees.

It was intimidating and maddening, all at once.

Rikku pressed her hands together, ignoring the bead of rain that dangled from her nose. "Do you think the forest is haunted? Maybe after everything Saeleos has done to Kilika, the pyreflies are coming here instead of the Farplane?"

Dona scoffed and shook her head. "_Puh-lease. _That's about as likely as the temple sprouting wings and flying away."

Nilus wiped a hand across his face, removing the soaked hair from his vision. "But it already happens," he argued. "How else would there be fiends here? Their souls inhabit the forest instead of the town. In a sense, the forest is already haunted. Although-" he swatted Rikku lightly on her shoulder, "-I don't think it's in the same way as Rik thinks it is."

"Ghosts exist," Maelys whispered, hugging her arms against the cold. "I see them sometimes, walking through people, completing their tasks, even though they're no longer living." She looked up at them all, rainwater on her face making her seem younger than she was. "I can even see them in people that are still alive."

Rikku shivered loudly as Dona scoffed and dismissed the idea.

"Maybe it's something to do with your magic?" Nilus offered, chewing on the idea himself. "It's possible that something of their psyche remains, not enough to become a fiend, or for us to hear, but enough for you to pick up on and notice?" He shrugged in response to his own idea. "As it stands though, I don't think there's anyone that's alive in Spira that can use psychic magic. There _was_ the psychic dressphere, it had to have come from someone, _somewhere_. It would be brilliant if we still had it," he sighed, "... but Shuyin shattered them all when we fought him."

Rikku bounced around them optimistically, sending small splashes everywhere. "I'm sure there's someone, _somewhere_ in Spira! We haven't explored all of it yet, there's probably some hidden tribe somewhere that still uses it!" She stopped bouncing and shrugged, turning to face Maelys. "If not, there might be an unsent that can use it... though I'm not sure we could trust them totally," she admitted as she scrunched her nose.

Dona walked back to them and swiped the air. "_Regardless-" _voices drifted over to them, cutting the woman off. She gasped and glanced around, complexion paling in an instant. "Hide!" she barked, taking cover within the foliage.

Rikku gasped and leapt up into the nearest tree, stopping to catch Maelys as Nilus threw her upwards. He ran backwards and leapt into another tree, swung round the branch once before landing lithely on the branch itself, steadying himself with a hand on the plant. He stood carefully and hugged the tree trunk, silently watching the people who walked into the path they had just vacated.

"Lady Dona was helping the traitors escape," a woman mentioned scornfully as she passed by. "She's nothing but a traitor herself now."

From where he stood, Nilus could see the way the woman in question bite her lip. It was obvious that the villager's words had hurt her, despite how much she would deny it. He also thought to the honorific used before her name... just how much control did Saeleos truly have over here? Or maybe his control was weaker, which is why they seemed evolved? Could it be just that his lack of complete dominance was letting them share in placebo free will?

"She broke the terms of her agreement," the man agreed with a nod. He pushed past the foliage within the forest, only narrowly missing Dona herself. Her slight intake of breath seemed to catch his interest for a moment, and he squinted at the fauna, evaluating its depths. Dona pushed herself further backwards, nearly becoming one with the tree behind her until the man shrugged and turned away, continuing on the path to the temple. "She broke them, so now we can drop our side of the bargain. Her precious husband's life is forfeit."

_Barthello..._ Dona found herself truly lost for breath. Her hands flew to her mouth, and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She would blame the emotions on pregnancy mood-swings, regardless of how hurt she truly was. They couldn't kill him! She was sure no one had seen her escape! She was so _certain_ of it! And now, everything was crashing down around her!

Tears spilled from her eyes and she choked on a sob. She wouldn't show weakness! She brushed her eyes with an arm before leaving her cover, checking that the coast was clear. Confident in their security, she stood and waited with a racing heart for her allies in her quest. They leapt from the treetops around her, landing with soft squelches in the mud. Her face must have betrayed how distraught she truly was, because the instant she locked eyes with Rikku, the younger woman rushed forth and wrapped her arms around her comfortingly.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered into her dark hair. "We should have made you stay behind!"

"Your apologies are noted," she drawled, removing the woman from her. She kept her hands firmly on Rikku's shoulders, meeting her eyes with her own. "I knew the risks. I knew that this could end up killing him. But Kilika needs to be cured, and he would happily risk his own life to ensure the safety of not only them, but of myself and our child." Her right hand moved slowly to her abdomen, where she gingerly began to rub at the strange feeling within herself. She felt tears threaten her once more, but held them back with sheer willpower alone. "What matters is what we do now."

Nilus crossed his arms. "You want to save Barthello." It was an obvious statement, replied with appropriate sarcasm by Dona's face. "We can't very well storm the temple; it's a suicide run for either us or Barthello, and we can't all sneak in either."

Maelys looked up at them all, as if the answer were simple. "A distraction," she said, clenching her fists in certainty. "Someone can sneak in and save him, and the rest of us can make sure they follow us." She turned and looked up at Rikku. "Just like you did with the villagers at the gates."

Rikku herself scratched at a cheek. "... I'm not completely sure that'll work. Before, it was only a few guards, and I had the whole of Kilika and the sea to escape in. The temple's a great place to launch attacks from; they can see us coming _long_ before we even reach the steps."

Dona offered them a small smile. "If anyone can do it; I'm certain you can." She folded her arms against her chest and took a deep breath. "I will sneak in. Don't argue!" she commanded, holding hands up demandingly. "He is _my_ husband, and the father to _my_ child. Barthello may be many things, but I know he would never harm me, possessed or otherwise." Something in her face softened as she nodded to Rikku and Nilus both. "The treetop path still exists, though may be slightly more overgrown than when you last used it. I shall use that to infiltrate the temple, and I'll find Barthello myself. If there's any trouble, I'll barricade us both within the Chamber of the Fayth."

Rikku took a step towards her. "And what if they manage to get in?"

Dona shrugged. "We'll jump into the hole." The way she said it, it seemed the smartest thing to do. Rikku and Nilus, however, knew otherwise.

"B-but, that leads to the Farplane!" Rikku exclaimed, hands waving in the air. "You might escape the villagers, but you'll be _smooshed_ into tiny little pieces by the demonoliths!"

The former summoner smiled once more. "I'm confident you'll get to me before such an event occurs." She placed her hands once more on Rikku's shoulders and nodded. "Good luck." Turning, she faced Maelys and nodded slowly, facing Nilus last with the barest trace of her smile remaining. "And may the Fayth guide you to certainty."

He lifted a hand after her. "You too," he said, speaking to only her back as she raced through the jungle. Her steps became distant as she found the path she needed, and within mere moments she had vanished into the tree line.

Maelys watched after the woman, feeling a strange sense of understanding and hope her cause would succeed. "Will it take long to reach the temple?"

Nilus shook his head. "No more than an hour's walk; providing the fiends aren't too difficult. He placed a hand above his eyes and looked to the skyline, squinting past the rain splattering against his face. "Rain looks like it's gonna be here a while, so the stairs are gonna be soaked through. _That's_ going to be fun to run up."

Maelys nodded distantly, wondering what the temple would look like. She had already seen Besaid's, which was a mixture of grand ancient design with the decoration of newer symbolism. In truth, it seemed outdated and old, even for where she was from, a thousand years in the past. It was only when she saw it before her eyes that she would remember the current world was suffering from the war she would have lived through. Her mind snapped back to attention as something wet and sticky hit her leg with the bite of an insect sting. She twisted and looked down, squinting at the white thread that stuck to her leg. She reached down to pick it off –

- and suddenly the world was on its side.

She screamed as the world was pulled around her, and something dragged her away with astounding speed.

"Maelys!" the two Al Bhed gasped, leaping after her as one. They raced after the screaming girl, following the path she made in the forest's floor, ignorant of the leaves slamming into their sides. They watched in horror as the girl's head vanished into a tunnel mouth barely big enough to fit an adult in and dove uselessly at the empty air she had vacated.

"Maelys!" Rikku screeched into the tunnel, going as far as to poke her head into the gloomy depths. She came back with a worried expression and shook her head in failure. She bit her lip and looked once more into the dark tunnel mouth, coated with dust and cobwebs both."On the count of three?"

Nilus shook his head. "I don't think we can spare three seconds." He gripped the top of the tunnel mouth and slid himself in, hoping he would fit. The soil flew past him as he descended into the tunnel, watching as roots and stones hurried by his face, ignorant to his descent.

He landed with a small roll forwards, shaking off the feeling of landing. Behind, dirt cascaded down the tunnel, belching out Rikku's form moments later. She rose to her feet and noticed the tunnels were large enough for two of her to stand on each other's shoulders, and that the tunnel's mouth itself was a good ten feet above her head.

More than that, she felt the darkness surrounding them completely. Fire burst into life within Nilus' palm, and instantly a scream left her lips. All around them were spiders, at least a dozen of them, black, hairy, and with horrific glowing red eyes.

And they were each as large as her.

One hissed and spat webbing over the tunnel, covering it completely and trapping them within. They advanced, heedless of the fire, and Rikku felt her heart run away screaming.

They'd found the tunnel system, and it seemed the fiends had found lunch.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ In lieu with job class systems, Dona would be a red mage, given her abilities**

**~ Dona's staff is obviously Egyptian themed, and is built on from the basis of Seth's sceptre**

**~ Maelys' weapon took the second longest to decide on; it was originally a wand, then a fan, then a staff, a moogle on its own until it settled on a moogle hiding a sword within  
**

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* * *

Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a  
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* * *

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**A little explanation for the mechanics of steal used in this: It would work rather like a mini-game of sorts, where you would have to follow a set of on-screen commands to make Rikku duck and dodge around the fiend/foe, confusing it and avoiding it's attacks. If you missed one, you would suffer a penalty depending on the fiend; it may attack you/inflict a status/outright kill you. If you passed the comman part, you'd have a small window of time (1~3 seconds) in which to make a grab for the item, shown by the 'shining' described. The brighter it shined, the more likely you would be to obtain an item, and the higher chance of you getting a rare item, and obviously, the higher level the fiend, the harder the mingame. I think it would be more fun to have steal function like that, rather than a game of chance, though obviously there'd be an option to just leave it up to the staple game of chance.**

**And now Kilika suffers from weather differences! I always liked that in FFXII; that you'd go into the Luce Plains, and the monsters would vary by the weather effects. It gave more life to something that would usually be a straightforward path. Plus, it makes sense; Kilika's a tropical island, it's bound to have sudden rainstorms. **

**As a side-note; I really want Maelys' weapon! Who needs a sword hidden in a cane when you can have it within a moogle? Plus, I feel it fits her character more, like her doll, she seems innocent on the outside, yet when provoked she can unleash the danger she hides within.  
**

**To be continued...**


	14. Animalistic Allies

**(Chapter 14; Animalistic Allies)**

Maelys grunted and squirmed, finding herself bound to some sticky wall behind her. She leant forward to test the strength of the wall, only to scowl as she snapped back after moving forwards only a few inches. It was indeed strong.

She growled and reached slowly for the moogle holstered on her hip. She found that by inching her way along the webbing, she seemed to be able to move more than if she suddenly lunged for it. The webs pulled tight and stuck, and the girl scowled as she tried to move it again. Pinpoint purple beams shot from her hand, slashing into the webs below, as well as barrelling into the rocks below. She smiled in her success and forced her attack around her hand, watching with pleasure as the webbing around her hand began to burn and wilt. She snatched her weapon from her hip greedily and quickly cut herself free before she fell and landed heavily on the ground.

She panted whilst she scanned the strange cavern around her. Large thuds echoed behind her as the remains of previous victims hit the floor from the web she had just destroyed. There was nothing but rock wall behind the web, and nothing but small corridors before her.

There was almost no light within the cavern, and she found she could only see a few paces ahead of herself, and even then it was an extremely dark blur. Eight glistening orbs of blood red appeared before her, and reflexively the girl gasped and pressed herself against the wall behind her. The large spider scuttled past her slowly, and Maelys found her breath well and truly caught.

Nilus wasn't lying when he described how large the creatures were. This one was the size of her, and judging by the short fur covering it's body, it was young. She shuddered and refused to think of the creatures fully grown.

Smiling to herself at the creature's lack of attention, she formed familiar magic within her palm. A purple blast of magic shot from her hand and into the creature's side, knocking it sideways with a horrible screech. It scuttled and righted itself; all eight eyes narrowing on the girl. She fired off another magical assault as it raced to attack her, and finally one more at point blank range. The creature hissed and screeched once more, fell into a slump on the floor and began to leak pyreflies.

Self-preservation beat morbid fascination's want to watch the fiend die. She turned away from it and skulked down the cavernous corridors, bent low and moving slowly throughout. Each fiend she encountered only seemed to be as old as the first she killed, and she found herself wondering where the older ones were.

And just where were Rikku and Nilus?

They'd chased after her, sure, but they hadn't exactly leapt instantly after her into the caves. She was sure at the time she'd heard their voices distantly within the caves... but now, she wasn't so sure. What if they'd simply left her behind, thinking a child was too much hassle on their journey? What if they'd decided Kilika needed saving first, and that she could be left with whatever creature ruled the darkness?

She bit her bottom lip and gripped her weapon tighter. She would fight her way out of here and prove she was every bit as capable as them both in a fight. And if it came to it, _she_ would be the one to leave _them_ to suffer in order to further her goals.

They weren't saving her now, so why should she help them later? Once again, she fell back to her safety net learned throughout her year within the underground prison. In the end, she could only trust and rely on herself.

And when she fought her way out of the caves, she'd prove that Nilus and Rikku were the ones that needed her help and guidance, not the other way round.

* * *

A nervous laugh escaped Rikku's throat as she slowly drew her blades. Her eyes counted seven spiders; not as much as she'd first thought, but still _far_ too many. "Why isn't the fire scaring them?" she hissed as she pressed against Nilus, back-to-back. "They're _cave_ fiends; they should be fleeing in terror!"

She felt him shrug behind her. "Maybe because they're so close to Kilika temple? It did embody Ifrit after all, that could be why they seem to actually _like_ the fire."

"What about wind?" she barked. "Or earth? Maybe they hate those?"

He shrugged once more. "I don't know. I can't use them yet anyway."

_What do you mean you can't use them? _She felt like screaming at him, beating at him until he blasted them away with the magic. Slowly, the clogs in her mind remembered the most important fact; Saeleos had stripped their power. Nilus had mentioned before that wind and earth magic needed to be taught by someone who knew what they were doing with it. Even though he still retained the knowledge of how to use magic, Saeleos' removal of his power meant that he would have to attune his mind and body once again to be able to use the magic.

Which meant they were screwed.

The spiders hissed around them and opened their maws, causing Rikku to flinch. She was sure that horrible, gross, icky spider fluid would shoot out and smother them both in it's webbiness, leaving them here for all eternity! Instead, one began to shriek as the temperature around them plummeted, and Rikku distantly heard the sounds of ice shattering.

"Ice," Nilus whispered in epiphany. "You ready?" he asked without turning his gaze. "We're gonna have to fight in the dark for this one."

She felt like screaming once more._ No! Of course I'm not! I don't want to fight these huge, hairy beasts blind!_ But she knew it was the best option. A breath steeled her nerve, and slowly she nodded.

And suddenly, she was plunged into darkness.

Her eyes left her blind, but her ears tuned instantly. Something shuffled from her left and she kicked to meet it. The spider shrieked at the sudden assault and backtracked, causing enough noise for the woman to follow it in silence. She sliced its legs from its body and reared both knives into the air, plunging them into the creature's brains.

Ignoring the innards that splashed her body, knowing they would disappear with the pyreflies, she jumped backwards from a spit of spider web. She reached out, grabbed the string and yanked with all her might, pulling the spider onto her blade. She ran the length of it along its gut, fighting the urge to be sick as her hand pressed against its hairy abdomen.

Behind she heard the familiar whistle of arrows cutting the air, and the chill of ice magic. Her knives twisted backwards in her palms and she thrust them backwards, stabbing perfectly into a spider's eyes. It wailed horribly, even as she turned and slammed her boot into its face, shattering it completely.

She danced to the left, knife slicing the spider's face open as she avoided another attack. Her arms moved as if she were possessed, each blade meeting spiked spider legs. She span full circle and brought her blades up low to high, showering herself with yet more spider guts. It warbled and collapsed backwards, legs flicking through the air pathetically.

Another sound caught her ear, moments before her blade met it with the impacting metal. In the dim light, she could only see the soft smirk Nilus wore, and knew her own face mirrored his expression as their weapons pressed against each other above their heads.

"Come on," he said, dropping his bow into a loose grip. "There's a groove in the floor where I'm guessing Maelys was dragged along. If we follow it, we should be able to find her without attracting too many of these spiders."

Rikku shuddered and rubbed her goose pimpled arms. "Sounds good to me," she said, her voice betraying her fear.

"Hey, we'll find her," he whispered. He reached back and gripped her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "And then we'll find out way out of here, and you'll never need to look at a terrapest again."

Now _that_ sounded good. Rikku smiled within the darkness and nodded needlessly, making her way through the dark tunnels towards wherever Maelys was.

* * *

Maelys grunted, wiping sweat from her brow. The fiends were getting smarter now, coming at her in twos and able to form basic strategies between them. The fights she found herself in were tougher, but easier at the same time. She found her magic was doing more damage to the creatures, and that she herself seemed to have more stamina for battles. It had to be her body reacting and learning from the experience she garnered in each battle.

Though, she did wish she had an immunity to attacks as she drank a potion greedily. Small clusters of webbing over what was once a body had caught her attention many times, and she was without regret that she had selfishly plundered the remains. From them, she'd managed to find a handful of potions within working order, and even a small bracelet that made her feel more magically adept. She wasn't sure what it was, but was certain she could ask Rikku once she found her.

She scowled and shook her head, rethinking her idea. Rikku wasn't here. Neither was Nilus. They weren't saving her. She was saving _herself_. She would learn about items and weapons on her own, without their help.

Every childish demand of self-reliance died as she heard fighting in the distance. She felt her heart race in exhilaration and hope as she followed the sounds of battle. Her face lit up in glee as she rounded a corner...

... only to find herself staring at a spider twice her size.

She screamed in sheer terror, backing away from the fiend. It scuttled forwards after her a few paces, then suddenly stiffened and convulsed, falling to the floor in a writhing heap as ice splintered through its stomach, freezing its bleeding insides.

It burst into pyreflies, treating Maelys to the sight of her two friends, bloody, beaten and there to save her. Her heart and head soared at the realisation that they had come after her, though she forced herself to remain grounded. "Thank you for coming," she said, offering a small nod.

"As if we'd leave you!" Rikku said, abashed. She bounced forwards and wrapped her arms around the girl, taking a moment to spin her round at dizzying speeds. When she placed her down, Rikku was sure she noticed some sense of joy in the girl's eyes.

Nilus stepped forwards and smiled at her. "Any luck finding a way out?"

She shook her head, tucking lavender hair behind an ear. "Only a nest full of hatchlings and a few dead ends. Did you guys?"

It was his turn to shake his head. "Nadda. Few empty corpse shells with some salvageable stuff, and most likely the parents of the hatchlings you fought. But at least we're together now, eh?" He smiled and pressed a hand gingerly to the nearby wall. "Now come on, let's get moving before the fiends find us again."

* * *

The tunnels were more like a dungeon, Nilus noted with grim humour. They all connected with each other, leaving the traveller completely confused as to the origins of where he fell in or had walked. There was little light, no source of food or water, and the constant threat of spider fiends attacking at any moment. On the plus side, the battle experience helped them, on the other; it was beginning to eat at their inventory too. It was quickly becoming blatant that they needed to begin learning white magic, or at least recruit a white mage to their cause.

He shook his head, laughing under his breath as he continued to move. _Recruit to the cause? _Since when had they become an army? It was a resistance, to be certain, but he wasn't completely certain it could be described as a 'cause'. It was simply a group of people trying to stop one person from taking over the world.

He'd helped to stop Sin destroying Spira, and then did the same with Shuyin two years later. This was barely any different, but why did it feel so much harder? Every small decision was continually hammering within his skull, multiple scenarios of what they could have done in each situation they encountered continued to bog his mind.

It was tiring, annoying and distracting, all at once.

His hands moved over the tunnel's soil walls, gripping softly as his feet tested the ground beneath him before he moved forwards. It was a slow progression, but at least they were moving forwards safely, save for the occasional spider that managed to find them.

He reached out, feeling a large wall of soil before him. He grit his teeth and blew out in annoyance, angry at leading everyone into another dead end. He was just about to announce it, however, when the faintest of breezes caught his face. It was barely anything he would have noticed when above ground, yet underneath it, it held a much greater significance.

"There's a breeze coming from behind this wall," he voiced, testing the weight of the soil wall with his body.

Rikku stepped forwards and knocked against certain points of the wall, listening for any change in sound. It was like the strange cave on the Mi'hen highroad Clasko's chocobos had discovered two years past. That had been filled with creepy insects too, though those were all mutant centipedes able to cast varying levels of magic.

Alongside the fiends, they needed to literally blast their way through walls with a variety of grenades, only able to tell which wall would collapse and lead them forwards by the breeze behind it. However, the walls in there had been more stable, and the tunnels more spacious. Doubtless if they used a grenade in these spaces, they would blow themselves to smithereens in the process.

It was also impossible as they had no grenades on them.

Rikku clicked her tongue against her teeth and suddenly kicked the bottom of the wall in annoyance. The force behind her attack made her foot go all the way through the soil and she blinked once in surprise. Then, with a surprised cry she leapt backwards, watching as the wall crumbled and fell down before her.

Nilus looked at the destruction, torn between surprise and amusement. "For a thief, subtlety isn't exactly one of your strong points..."

Maelys laughed a childish laugh. She looked up at them both with wide eyes, moogle swinging by her side. "But there's light in the distance," she pointed out, finger directing them to the far end of the tunnel, where they could see a small pinprick of light.

"See!" Rikku placed her hands on her hips and laughed triumphantly. "There's a method in my madness, you know?"

He deadpanned. "Most of the time, I'm sure it's just madness."

She grunted and swat him on the arm as reply, eager to follow the path out of the tunnels. They found that the closer they got to the light, the more plants seemed to be growing from the soil walls. They weren't sure whether or not they had been there before and they had missed them because of the dark, or if they were only growing because of the light, but it was a positive sign. Once or twice they passed a large piece of ancient stone debris, and both adults found themselves wondering just what civilisation would have built a town nearby. Or even, the more likely reasoning that the spider's tunnels had unearthed fallen remains.

Whatever reason, it didn't matter to the three as they jogged out of the tunnels and into the brilliant warmth of the sunlight. Trees stretched to the heavens around them, and all around forest foliage and paths dotted and marred the landscape. It was obvious they were still within the Kilika forest, though had spent long enough for the rain to pass. They had also passed by the temple itself, as they could see it in the south-east to themselves.

As Rikku and Maelys celebrated their escape from the tunnels, Nilus took a moment to evaluate their surroundings. In amongst the trees were ancient stone remains of buildings, some completely destroyed, some still hanging on. Directly before them were old grey arches that stopped on the fourth, where a small stone path had been built further into the landscape. It was the only obvious way out of the clearing, and Nilus supposed it would lead into a round-trip the temple.

Trees and plants grew in other old stone remains, and every now and then a pyrefly would drift by, wailing its mournful song. It made the clearing eerily reminiscent of some areas of the Moonflow, and Nilus wondered just how long it had been since people had been in this location.

Probably a while, given the mass of cobwebs.

_Cobwebs?_

"Oh... cred," Nilus slipped, spinning around in every direction. The cobwebs were startling obvious now, glistening horrible silver against the golden rays of the sun. They stretched across the ruins, through the trees... they were _everywhere!_

They'd escaped the tunnels and walked straight into the spider's nest!

"'Cred'?" anxiously repeated Rikku.

"Cred," Nilus confirmed. He pointed up towards the cobwebs, and then to the webbing surrounding them. "I don't think they're here just from age and lack of use."

Rikku felt like she'd been slapped in the face. She had no idea how she'd missed them all before, but now she had seen one; _every_ cobweb in the clearing was blatantly obvious! She whimpered and pressed her hands to her chest, wanting anything but to encounter more of those hairy, mutant spiders.

Maelys blinked, not understanding the paranoia. "Cobwebs come in places that aren't used," she stated, confident in her logic. "The attic in my house used to have _hundreds_ of them when we'd clean it." She was too young to see the danger, too naive to be able to see the threat before her eyes.

Instead, Nilus found himself once again scanning the tree lines. It was a perfect place to launch an ambush from; the fiends could drop on them without any notice and pick them off, one by one. He squinted until his eyes strained and screamed, trying in vain to see any threat there was –

- there!

He saw two figures leap through the trees, swinging with unnerving accuracy between the branches. He locked eyes with one of them and his stomach dropped as they flashed predatory amber.

"We need to move!" he hissed, trying his best to keep his voice composed. Bow in hand he led them towards the only useable escape route; the old stone path. More stone ruins passed them by, more remainders of a once proud civilisation. At any other time, they would have loved to have stopped and marvelled at the beauty of the ruins, pondering on the majesty of the civilisation when it flourished, before it met it's end, like so many others, by Sin.

Instead, now they fled for their lives, stomachs all filled with icy dread. They raced forwards into a large clearing, where the path led beneath a grand majestic archway that no doubt would have once been the entrance to a castle. Most of the wall remained, a mixture of grey, yellow and orange bricks, towering above them a good thirty feet in height. And suspended on the wall itself were a number of sticky threads, all holding together one colossal figure wrapped within their sticky bindings.

Rikku felt her stomach fall to the floor. "Oh... holy cred..."

As if in response, the wrapped figure hissed from within its binds. The webbing spun in place, revealing the colossal spider hidden within. It was well over twelve feet tall and decorated with red and orange markings over its jet black fur. Eight equally hairy and decorated legs stretched out from its abdomen and eight eyes, each as big as Maelys' head blinked and stared right at them. The fiend hissed and lowered itself onto the floor with frightening calm and began to scuttle on the spot. Its fangs were horrible to look at, each the length of an arm and dripping with buckets of gooey saliva.

Rikku fought the urge to be sick as her shaking hands gripped her knives. "That... is one _big _bug!"

Nilus nodded, bow in hand and ready. "I don't think we'll be able to step on this one."

The fiend reared up and bared its front two legs into the air, hissing a war cry. It slammed down heavily on the ground, shaking in completely, sending small tremors that continued to hit even moments later.

A cold dread ran up Nilus' spine. "I don't think that's just an attack..." He glanced around and paled instantly as he noticed spiders crawling out of the forest, over the ruins, and even dropping from the trees above. They enclosed the three in a perfect circle, maws dripping with poisonous saliva.

And to add insult to it all, he noticed the same strange two figures in the treetops again, watching them with hungered interest.

He groaned and dropped his head for a moment. "Today is _not_ our day."

And suddenly, the two tree-bound figures leapt.

Nilus dropped into a defensive guard, though it was of no use. The two figures ploughed into the spider fiends without mercy, ripping them apart with feral ferocity. They caught flashes of blue alongside the roars and yowls of battle, and watched only in horrified awe as pyreflies wailed and floated around them both.

The taller figure roared once more and leapt into the air, bringing a large spear down into a spider's brain. The blue creature quickly leapt backwards off the fiend as the other blue creature, this one more muscular, stampeded over the fallen spider. It leapt onto another, ripping it apart with its teeth and claws, juices and pyreflies both emerging from its mouth.

All around them now, the circle of spiders was no more than pyreflies. Only a few more remained, all converging on the two new threats. The two blue creatures stopped and glanced at each other, sharing a quick nod. They inhaled in unison and suddenly breathed out pure flames on the spiders. They shrieked and burst into flames, legs all scraped uselessly at the air as they fell into death. The two figures nodded and roared in victory, watching as the large spider in command hissed and leapt at them all.

Knowing the mystery two were onside, Rikku, Nilus and Maelys began their own assault. Rikku charged forwards alongside the two creatures, her knives becoming a blur as she hacked and slashed away at the large spider's legs. She couldn't reach the beast's head, but she'd damn sure smash its legs in! She leapt backwards and twirled around one of its long legs, plunging her knives deep into its flesh. It howled and tried to throw her away, but she held on regardless, slashing away at the exposed flesh. All of a sudden blood sprayed over her and she dropped to the floor, still atop the hairy leg. Disgust suddenly washed through her and she shoved the severed leg away, feeling desperately unclean and disgusted enough for a lifetime.

Nilus jumped backwards, landing neatly as a glob of acid began to dissolve the spot he just occupied. He wiped sweat from his brow and focused, forcing fire magic into his palms. He wasn't sure why this fiend managed to be weak to fire, and those underground strong to it, but he wasn't about to argue. Orange flames spread at accelerated speeds over two of the spider's huge legs, burning away hair and flesh alike, crippling it and making it lean heavily on them both. It shrieked protest and pain as he struggled to stand, giving another opportunity for everyone to attack. With distance between them, Nilus calmly lined up a shot and struck true in the leg joints, severing one and then another completely from its body.

The spider shrieked and scuttled around on its remaining four hind legs and began to spit acid everywhere in the vain hope it could somehow hit them all. The two blue figures leapt backwards with cat-like agility and Rikku began to dance around the dangerous substance. Maelys stood rigid as a globule soared towards her and crouched low, baring her back to the attack. She shrieked as it would have hit, blinking in confusion as nothing happened. She opened her eyes a crack and looked up, finding a wall of ice slowly steaming and hissing away. Beside her stood Nilus, frost built on his palm, the only indication it was he who had launched the counter-measure.

She blinked and looked at the impromptu ice-shield. Her mind whirled fast enough only for her to process one coherent question. "How?"

He winked and formed fire in his palms. "When it's safe." The fire erupted from his hands in twin volleys, searing the beast's vulnerable underside. Maelys caught sight of it and focused, forcing her own magic at the creature. Purple beams of energy slammed into the fiend's skull, sending it wavering over the forest floor in a mad daze.

Rikku grinned to herself as the spider began to wobble in pain. She caught a flailing leg with her arms and hoisted herself up, balancing precariously on the creature's back. Nimbly making her way across it, she reached the base of its skull and slammed her knives in mercilessly, gripping to the hilts hard as the fiend bucked and convulsed. She drew them out and stabbed once again, driving twin lengths of steel into its skin. Once more and she severed its exoskeleton completely, exposing wet grey flesh within. She grinned and plucked the golden gem from her pocket, the same one she had obtained from the elemental fiend. She flicked her thumb across it and threw it into the fiend's exposed head, leaping from the creature not moments later. She landed in a roll on the forest floor, wrenching her head back in time to see the fiend shriek in sheer agony as the thunder gem erupted into life, sending electrical magic completely through the fiend's vulnerable innards.

Smoking and defeated, the fiend wailed in defeat before it burst into pyreflies, filling the forest with the hum and wail of angry souls.

And walking through them all, were the two blue figures that had aided them in the fight. Now able to see them without distraction, it was painfully obvious they were Ronso. Both were taller than even Nilus by a good few inches, though they retained the muscle structure of an average human adult, though the shorter one was just slightly more muscular than the other.

Both were tall and covered in blue fur, with one large pointed horn coming from each of their foreheads. Piercing amber cat-like eyes set above the lion-like muzzle of both Ronso, and small amounts of whiter fur grew from their chests, head and legs, and a small tuft of black fur from the end of their respective tail. Both had their right ears pierced with a number of small metal trinkets, and the taller of the two had a long silver necklace hanging from his neck. Both had various leather straps adorning their chests and legs, and identical black bracers clung over their wrists.

However, the taller of the two had a long spear strapped to his back. He carried himself with a more socially adapted stance, standing tall and proud rather than his companion's more feral slightly crouched pose. The taller wore a loincloth decorated with dark red and black weave, emblazoned with Ronso markings for 'honour' and 'protection'. The smaller had a yellow and green loincloth instead, his emblazoned with Ronso markings for 'courage' and 'protection'. No weapon was visible on his person, though the faint remains of blood on his claws made it clear he preferred using them in combat.

The average Ronso towered over most humans by at least a head and a half, and were nearly double their size in muscle mass – the females were a human's size plus a half. Built for the cold peaks of Gagazet, it was strange to see a Ronso outside of cold climes, much more so in the heat of Kilika's tropics.

These Ronso were obviously still pups.

The taller walked towards them and sniffed at both Nilus and Rikku. He stopped and bared his fangs in a twisted form of a smile before he punched his own chest in respect. "Guardians," he said in a deep growl. "Lian and Ayde Ronso offer their service."

Of all the scenarios they were expecting, this was certainly not one of them. They couldn't imagine how the two Ronso had got wind of what they were doing – did Kimahri know already?

Of course, such matters were lost on Rikku.

"Oh, wow!" she gushed and leapt towards them both. "You've grown _so much_!" She laughed and spun around them, pressing her hands up to the taller's shoulders. "I thought you both looked kinda familiar!" She smiled and tapped a finger to her mouth, thinking softly. "Ah-hah!" she exclaimed, pointing at the taller. "You're Lian, aren't you? You were the one that always spoke when we saw you!"

Lian nodded, making a gruff sound like an agreement. "Lian is pleased you remember us."

Rikku laughed and then winked. "As if I could forget! The trouble you caused Kimahri and us! And then Garik's face when you showed up completely unharmed!" She sobered a moment, looking at Lian with concern. "How's Gagazet? Is everyone normal? Is Kimahri okay?"

Lian shrugged, grunting once more. "Lian does not know. We left Gagazet one moon's passage ago. When we arrived in Kilika, we could smell the change in the air. People tried to attack us, but were unable to force the same magic on us. We hid in the forest and heard of your plans." He closed his eyes and bowed softly. "Lian and Ayde wish to help Rikku and Nilus save Spira."

Nilus nodded his acceptance. He glanced at Ayde and Lian both, silently considering how much help they could be and realising they would be more than helpful. Alongside that, they couldn't afford to turn help away. He looked back to Lian and asked, "Do you know if anywhere else is like this?"

Lian shook his head. "We reached Kilika several nights ago. Luca smelt normal when we left." He looked up and growled as he sniffed the air, staring off towards the rough direction of Besaid. "Besaid smell worse. Lian can smell it from here."

Ayde grunted. Obviously he could too.

"Why are you in Kilika though?" Nilus asked, intrusively. "I thought your travelling days were behind you?"

Lian spared Ayde a moment's glance. The worry and caution in his face went completely unnoticed to the humans. "We missed seeing Spira. Ronso seek their own path now. Many search Spira. Kilika fascinates us. It is warm and hot, yet not like deserts Elder Kimahri has spoke of." He growled once more, ears flicking at some unseen presence. "Gagazet told us to search the world again. It told us to come to Kilika. We found Guardians here and know Gagazet sent us to help."

Nilus nodded. He didn't truly feel like playing twenty questions with them, but every little bit he knew helped. Ronso were notoriously guarded and self-supporting – any problem a Ronso suffered would be dealt with by Ronso alone. Several times such views had hindered Kimahri on the pilgrimage, most obviously when he allowed himself to be distracted in Luca, and Yuna was kidnapped as a result of his inattention.

Added to that, a Ronso never lied. At least they could be trusted.

"Glad to have you with us," Nilus said with a small nod.

Rikku bounced up, narrowly avoiding impaling herself on Ayde's horn. "Yup-yup! What better to help us scare away people than two big Ronso? And they're still growing! Hah, could you imagine Saeleos' face if we showed up with an army of Ronso? He'd totally crap his pants!"

Nilus snickered at the thought. "Oh, right," he said, remembering Maelys, who had remained silent all the while. "Lian, Ayde, this is Maelys," he introduced, holding a hand towards the girl. "Maelys, these two are Lian and Ayde."

She nodded, staring up at them in child-like wonder. "They're like cats," she mumbled, awed.

Nilus and Rikku both laughed. "They're from Mount Gagazet," Rikku explained, bending down to the girl's level. "You should know about that; it's the mountain that overlooked Zanarkand."

Maelys scrunched her face in thought. "I've heard of it," she admitted, "but I've never seen it. Buildings and lights covered the skyline where I lived. We could only see it if we travelled to Z-sector."

Rikku blinked. _Z-sector?_ Just how big was Zanarkand in it's prime? Regardless, she smiled and tapped her on the nose. "Ronso look big, powerful and scary, but their loveable softies really! In fact, their Elder looked after Yuna since she was seven!" She spun round and trained her sight on them both, making sure Maelys followed her gaze. "So make sure you're nice to them, and you'll have these two big Ronso protecting you wherever you go!"

Maelys nodded, silenced by her awe of the creatures before her. They were like walking, talking blue cats! It was amazing! She'd always wanted a pet cat, though her mother had always refused. And now, there were two cat-people friends with Rikku and Nilus? It was nothing short of amazing.

Though, one question burned the front of her brain. She looked up and offered a tentative smile before asking her question in all seriousness. "Do you lick yourself like a cat too?"

All Rikku and Nilus could do was try not to laugh.

**

* * *

Trivia:**

**~ Lian and Ayde were actually the third and fourth characters definitely to be included in the story**

**~ Originally Garik was to be in the party, not the two Ronso pups. But Garik's harsh demeanour countered too greatly against the other character's, so Lian and Ayde were brought in instead.  
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Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a  
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**To be continued...**


	15. Within the Temple

**(Chapter 15; Within the Temple)**

Lian looked down and considered the hume-child Maelys. She was strangely quiet compared to all the other hume-children he had encountered; most would clamber for his or Ayde's attention, shout, scream or bounce around uncontrollably. Hume-children never seemed to stop being noisy or moving around, much unlike a Ronso pup. Pups knew instinctively that over-movement or loudness would lose their prey, or cause an avalanche on the mountain. As such, pups were quiet and conserved, though not as much so as their elders.

It was what he found strange about her; her silence reminded him of Ronso pups. However, she would still look up at him with complete curiosity, and he would know she wanted to ask some sort of question about himself or other Ronso. More often than not, they were simple, trivial matters, such as a Ronso's diet, though often she would compare him to the hume-pet creature called a 'cat'.

Ronso knew that a cat was a very distant relative of theirs, much like a hume's was a monkey. Lian didn't understand why she couldn't understand Ronso and cats were as separate as hume and monkey. He also confused her further when he asked if humes threw their faecal matter at each other like monkeys.

At least it stopped the cat comparisons.

Regardless, she walked with him now through the forest, walking at a fast pace to keep up with his and Ayde's footsteps. She had tried to talk to Ayde may times, only to receive no response. Ayde was like many Ronso; he would only talk to those he deemed worthy to talk to. Like most Ronso, this list was extremely slim. Lian knew it included himself, Lady Yuna, Elder Kimahri and few other Ronso, but had no knowledge of anyone else. He wasn't even certain if Ayde thought Rikku and Nilus were worthy enough. The hume-child had verbally poked and prodded until she grew tired, deciding that Lian himself was better to talk to, as at least he would reply, even if the replies were short, clipped sentences.

After a battle against more of the spider fiends, this time with a few lizards and strange living plants, Maelys turned to Lian with familiar inquisition.

"Why does Rikku not fight well against spiders?" she asked, genuinely confused. She'd seen the woman slice apart other fiends without hesitation, and knew from word of mouth that she had gone against and defeated a large whale-like creature that was at least as big as the island of present Kilika. It confused her that after that, one comparatively small spider would trouble her so.

Lian grunted a small, feral noise. "Courage affects performance in battle." He looked down at Maelys and noticed the obvious confusion on her. He forgot that humes were not as insightful as Ronso, and found himself trying to think of how to explain it in simpler, obvious terms. "Everyone has fear. Fear leads people to not act. Because of fear, people do not fight well in battle."

"Ah," Maelys grunted in understanding. "So, Rikku doesn't battle as well against spiders, because she's afraid of them?"

Lian nodded. In truth, he was amazed it took only two attempts to explain it to her. Most humes would take at least the better part of a hand to understand Ronso analogies. "Fear reduces performance in battle," he confirmed. "Everyone suffers fear. Every person has situation where fear decreases battle performance."

Maelys nodded, staring up at him with childish attention. "So what are you afraid of?"

He snorted. "Lian is afraid of nothing."

She scrunched her nose, confused. "But-"

"Lian is Ronso," he explained. "Ronso hold no fear."

Up ahead, Nilus stopped a moment to glance back at them. "Everyone is afraid of something Lian," he said, reminding the Ronso of Elder Kimahri. He knew by the tone some sort of lecture or insight was to be instilled on him. "If you think you haven't got a fear, you just haven't encountered what you're afraid of."

Beside him, Ayde gave a small grunt of approval. Lian bowed his head, accepting the wisdom as if it were Elder Kimahri himself that had imparted it.

The Ronso reflected on the information as he made way through the forest, paws clutched around his spear. It was strange to consider, that he had a fear, just one that he had yet to meet. It made him want to search and encounter it, if only to know what it was. He could smell that Maelys herself was continually afraid every time she seemed to be left on her own, even though she would never reveal it. She reminded him of the mountain wolves, who would chase off other wolves when they got too close, yet always made sure another was in their sight.

The hume-child reminded him of many things, though also confused him at the same time. She was so different to most she had met, yet at the same time so similar. The only thing he didn't like was her smell. She smelt... _different_. Every living creature; Ronso, hume, Guado or Al Bhed had a distinct smell to them that defined them. Ronso smelt of cold mountain air, Guado of the Farplane. Al Bhed smelt of sand and hot air, whilst humes all had different smells, though always smelt of the environment they grew up in.

Maelys smelt entirely different.

Lian had visited each place on Spira, save for Zanarkand and Bikanel desert. He could smell Zanarkand from Gagazet; it smelt of death and sorrow. Bikanel smelt, he supposed, like every Al Bhed from it.

Maelys had none of these.

It was like she had spent her whole life around machina, yet hadn't at the same time. There was a strong smell of magic around her; yet she was not unsent, and did not smell of magic like Lady Yuna's mate. She was something new entirely.

It confused him, and yet at the same time, filled him with exhilaration. It meant that there were new places on Spira, yet to be discovered! And within him, hope began to bloom. Hope for a cause that otherwise may have been set to end in failure.

* * *

Leading the group, Nilus and Rikku found themselves slipping into Al Bhed as they wondered aloud about the current state of their group. It was obvious that, like almost all Ronso, Lian followed tradition and studied the dragoon artes. Ayde, however, was less obvious. They had debated about it, and now considered that given his raw fighting with only his claws and teeth, he was no doubt a practitioner of the berserker artes.

"Nalguh drao'na kuhhy cdelg fedr ic ymm dra fyo?" Rikku asked, wrenching her hands together in unease. (Reckon they're gonna stick with us all the way?)

It wasn't that she was against their help – in fact, she was all for it! It was just she didn't want to pin her hopes on having allies that would only end up leaving when it suited them, rather than seeing the cause through.

"Hud cina," Nilus admitted with a shrug. After all, the only way to truly know was to ask them themselves. (Not sure).

He turned to face them, forcing himself to think on more present thoughts. Their eventual absence, or lack thereof, was best discussed when they weren't attempting to sneak into KIlika temple and rescue Dona and Barthello. They had hoped they would be able to sneak in a back entrance, but unfortunately, it seemed the stairs above them circled round to the base of the temple, where their summoning party had fought the large sinspawn, and where the Gullwings had fought New Yevon's machina guard when they hunted the 'awesome sphere'.

"So I take it you're both blue mages then?" he asked conversationally. Ronso were the only denizens of Spira able to use the fiend's attacks against them – or blue magic as it was known, if only for the exclusivity of being used by the Ronso race. However, some Ronso were unable to learn the fiend's way of fighting, and so often found other methods of defending themselves – such as the entirety of the Ronso Fangs blitz team. Each and every one of them were unable to use blue magic, and so pushed themselves to their limits in the sphere pools. The training in there gave them an edge over fiends, allowing them to use other methods of attack, sometimes making them stronger than their blue mage brethren.

"We are," Lian confirmed with a small nod. "However, we do not share many common skills. There are fiend abilities which only Lian may learn, and those only Ayde can learn."

Rikku blinked at them both. "But I thought all Ronso could learn all blue magic?"

Lian shook his head as Ayde grunted a wordless 'no'. "Each Ronso is different. All Ronso can learn some abilities, but not all can learn the same. Elder Kimahri is only Ronso that can use Nova, but all Ronso can breathe fire."

Rikku nodded, understanding – even though it was strange for a species built to live in cold to all be able to breathe fire. If anything, she would have expected them to be weak towards it instead.

"Lian is more magically inclined than Ayde," the Ronso explained, gripping tightly to his spear. "Ayde is able to channel blue magic into physical assault better than Lian. But Lian can channel blue magic as magical attacks better than Ayde." He planted the blunt end of his spear into the ground and nodded affirmation to his own statement. "Lian learns by lancet magic. Ayde learns by mauling foe."

Nilus looked over and barely suppressed a wince at Ayde's fanged grin. He definitely did _not_ want to be on the receiving end of a mauling from the Ronso, that much was certain. Instead he stopped before the old stone steps that led up to the temple, taking a moment to take in their majesty. They had obviously not been used in a long time; vines and weeds grew out of the stonework itself, attempting to reclaim the structure back for the forest.

"Come on then," he ushered, nodding towards the large stone steps. "Let's go do what we came here to."

* * *

It was no wonder they had never seen this path any time before. It was so overgrown with plants that both Rikku and Lian had to hack and slash their way through just to cut them a path.

Along the way, Nilus pointed out and explained certain things to Maelys. What berries she could eat, what ones were poisonous, and occasionally, the indications that a fiend had left a trap somewhere. Behind them both, Ayde walked in stoic silence, though he would occasionally grunt an agreement to something Nilus said. It was eerily reminiscent of Kimahri on the pilgrimage; though he had only treated Tidus with such silence. He had spoke to Rikku as soon as Macalania, even though she had only joined not a week prior. Nilus supposed it had to do with Rikku being related to Yuna; they must have smelt similar. The Ronso Elder had pointed out to them since Tidus' return that he always smelt strange and foreign, which was why he took so long to decide on him, and why he attacked the man on Besaid.

On the other hand, Ayde seemed to even move silently. They would hear the occasional step from him, but otherwise they forgot his presence behind them, reminded only when he grunted or made some other small sound. It must have been due to his predatorial nature... which wasn't reassuring in the slightest.

"Guys, we're here," Rikku informed them, sheathing her knives as she turned to look at them.

They walked through the path her and Lian had created and found themselves opposite the main stairs used to make way to the temple. Thankfully, there was no one at the temple at present, meaning they could relax for a moment, though they knew when they reached the main temple itself they would be on the lookout constantly.

Maelys found herself following everyone on autopilot as she stared in amazement at the temple. All around there were large torches that burned with constant fire, even after the tropical rainfall they had suffered. Nilus had explained it to her; it was supposedly a gift from the Fayth. Kilika temple used to house the fire aeon Ifrit, and he maintained the fires constantly. Now, even though the Fayth's soul had departed, the fires continued to burn. Many considered it a sign that the Fayth had never truly left them, others argued it was merely a testament to their power.

Regardless, it was fascinating to see. The ancient stone stairs were amazingly well kept, and the temple itself was a brilliant sight on the horizon. It was a mixture of reds, oranges and greys, and two small towers on each side rose up to the heavens, baring the flag of KIlika. Three tiers of floors stretched up from the temple's main body, and the wings of the temple reminded her of Bevelle's airship thrusters from her time. The courtyard was decorated in a mixture of reds and greens, and small steps led down into the main court area, where another, longer, deeper set of stairs led into the temple itself.

"I don't like this," Nilus said as he inched forwards. "It's quiet."

"Too quiet?" Rikku answered with a nervous giggle. It was true though, there was _no one _in the courtyard. Usually it would be bustling with life, full of laughing, screaming children, the sighs and groans of their frustrated parents, and the continual chatter from priests too old to give up their faith in Yevon.

Instead, it was barren.

They walked forwards, in towards the temple itself, though they found the monk's and nun's chambers were exactly the same. Granted, they had found some supplies in there too, but otherwise, the entire temple was eerily lifeless.

Lian sniffed at the air tentatively. "Temple smells strange," he grunted, drawing and gripping his spear. "Smells of hatred and anger."

Nilus suppressed a groan and shook his head. "Well, at least we know where everyone is. I think though, we have the problem of trying to get past them all and finding Barthello. Then after that, we should try to figure out how to cure them, or just chase them out of here."

Rikku tapped her chin in thought. There had to be a way to get everyone out of the temple, without putting themselves at risk. She glanced around the temple itself, eyes lighting up in delight as she found a disused machina dumped in the corner. "Ah-hah!" she exclaimed, racing towards the contraption. She slid to her knees before the machina and quickly opened up its circuitry, studying the creature and its wiring. "I can re-wire this baby to give them a status report," she said even as her hands began to disconnect and reconnect wires. "But I'm gonna need a few parts to do it," she said, sparing a moment to glance back at them. "A power cable, a power source – maybe a battery pack? Oh! And a glass screen."

Nilus crossed his arms and looked at her a moment. "Rikku, this is a _Yevon_ temple. What are the chances they have any of that lying around?"

She shrugged and buried herself further in the machina, yelping as she received a small shock. "I'd say pretty high, given that. Remember how much machina Yevon used to hide in each of their temples? Besides, times have changed, there's a machina right _here_ that I'm working on. They're probably got some hidden cache somewhere full of machina parts."

"Alright," he relented, dropping his arms to his side. "Lian, you wanna come with?" The Ronso nodded and Nilus turned to the other. "Ayde, can you stay here on guard? If someone comes along, Rikku's not gonna be able to do much while she's arm-deep in machina wirings."

Ayde grunted his acceptance even as Maelys stepped forwards. "I'll wait here too," she informed him.

"Noted," Nilus said with a nod. "Alright Lian, let's go find us some machina parts."

* * *

The monk's chamber was nothing short of a mess. It looked like something large and explosive had hit the chamber, though had only managed to knock everything everywhere, rather than destroy it all.

Lian stood rigid and sniffed the air. "Lian smells machina," he growled, pointing towards an old wardrobe. Nilus lifted an eyebrow in amusement but said nothing as he reached the wardrobe and flung open the doors. In the middle of a large pile of robes was a small metal tube of wire, once cut down small enough to fit in the machina Rikku was repairing.

"Good nose," Nilus commented, pocketing the wire. "Don't suppose you can sniff out glass and batteries too?"

Lian growled in distaste. "Ronso blood allows heightened sense of smell. Does not mean Ronso are to be used as trackers for hume's wants."

The Al Bhed held his palms up and offered a small apologetic grin. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that! Eesh, I forgot Ronso don't have the same sense of humour as us..." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, shifting his weight under the creature's gaze. "How about we forget I said that, huh?" he offered, turning to search under the bed for more parts.

Lian grunted once more, spear planted in the ground, tail twitching as he stood guard in the room. "Elder Kimahri mentioned many times hume have strange ways of speaking. Lian had never noticed until he spoke with Nilus and Rikku." He growled once more, seemingly debating on something. "Lian is still becoming used to Nilus way of speaking. Lian apologises if Lian caused offence."

Nilus blinked, looking back at the creature. If anything, he should have been the one apologising, and now he was getting one from the Ronso? It was strange, to say the least. "Uh... no worries big guy."

Lian grunted once more, closing his eyes as Nilus went back to his search. He sniffed at the air once more, eyes snapping open in surprised alarm. "Nilus smell is strange. Mixed between hume and Al Bhed."

The Al Bhed looked up instantly and offered a lopsided grin. "Yeah, there's a reason for that. My mother was only half Al Bhed. Apparently her human parent wasn't a complete Yevon worshipping nut like most humans at the time, so when she was born, she was accepted by most. Yuna was a bit of a different case though," he said, stopping to sit on the planks of an upturned bed. "Her mother ran off with a Yevon _priest._ The only way to relate it would be if a Ronso fell in love with a Guado when you were all still out for revenge." He stopped and smiled a little, catching himself with a laugh a moment later. "That's a point actually; can Ronso and Guado actually interbreed?"

Lian shrugged. "Lian does not know."

"Ah," Nilus sighed as he went back to work. "If they could, it would probably be looked on a bit weirdly, I'd imagine. I mean, Guado-human children are looked upon as lower people... though the only one I've ever heard of was Seymour." He caught the deep, angered growl from Lian and decided to quickly change the subject. Obviously, not all Ronso had completely forgiven the Guado for their aid to Seymour and his slaughter of their people – even if Kimahri had stopped them massacring them. "So-uh, what's up with Ayde? Is he one of the strong, silent Ronso?"

Lian gave a small, affirmative grunt. "Ayde speaks only to those Ayde thinks deserve speaking to." He grunted once more, tail twitching as he thought about his new question. "Hume-child Maelys is strange."

Nilus laughed at the Ronso's bluntness. "Got that right. She's got her reasons though."

Lian shook his head. "Behaviour is not what Lian meant. Maelys _smells_ strange. Maelys scent does not belong to anywhere in Spira Lian has seen."

Nilus pulled a face. "Yeah, there's a reason for that too." He sighed and sat down on a stool, looking up to face the Ronso. "She's not completely from our world. You're travelling with us, so I'll explain it all to you. Relate it to Ayde when you can, but don't have Maelys within earshot. Underneath everything, she's still a kid – she still throws temper tantrums. The only problem is that she's _powerful_. Me and Rik first found her in the Omega Ruins, and even then we had a bit of trouble trying to fight her."

Lian grunted once more, letting Nilus know he could speak his story. Of all things the Ronso had expected, such a story was not one of them. He could only wonder what Gagazet truly had planned when it sent him and Ayde both to Kilika, and whether it truly knew what it was sending them to help with.

* * *

Rikku bumped and cursed as she continued to rewire the machina as best she could. Her plan was simple really; she'd rewire the machina to walk into the temple itself, and any person it encountered would see the message she'd programme to display on its screen. It was simple, if not brilliant!

Even if she did say so herself.

"So, did someone order spare machina parts?"

Rikku fell onto her backside and looked up at Nilus' voice. She grinned happily and accepted the offered goods from him, her mind buzzing with delight at the thought of fixing the creation. She was Al Bhed after all. She may be a thief, even an alchemist, but when she was working machina, she was in her element. She was certainly not the best, but she was damn confident in her abilities.

"Give me two seconds," she declared, leaping into the machina.

If it were a cartoon, small clouds of dust would have erupted around her, the speed that she was working. It took just over a minute for her to completely adjust and fix the machina, and once everything was in place she activated a small switch and stood back, wiping her brow with an arm. She grinned proudly at her creation, heart soaring as it whirred into life.

It clicked and sputtered, spouting mechanical noise as it bounced on the spot. Ayde grunted at the creation whilst Maelys watched it in amazement. It was nothing short of bottom-rate compared to machina of her time, yet something about this machina just felt so brilliant... so amazing. It was probably because it had been created before her very eyes with nothing but salvaged scrap, or that it showed even after a millennia, machina still existed. Whatever the reason, it was strangely heart warming.

"And now for the best part!" Rikku declared with a snap of her fingers. The machina buzzed and looked up, small scanning lights appearing on its front. It registered the presence of sentient life, and all of a sudden words began to display on its screen, Spiran script visible in artificial glory.

'_Traitors spotted approaching temple steps. Approach with caution and detain as necessary.'_

"Well?" Rikku asked, bouncing happily on her heels.

Nilus crossed his arms. "It just might work."

"Knew it!" she celebrated and punched the air. "Come on!" she ushered them towards the nun's chambers, whistling a set command to the machina. It buzzed and walked with shaky steps down the stairs to the temple, leaving them all in strained silence, each trying to see as much as possible through the small crack in the door.

Maelys frowned after a minute's silence. "It's not working."

"Shh!" Rikku scolded her, pressing a hand over her mouth. Not moments later voices and footsteps echoed from the stairs, and suddenly a baker's dozen of people sprinted from the temple, all aiming towards the steps. They all looked furious and elated at the same time, and each had a weapon to hand.

It was pleasing to know there were so few of them in the temple, yet so harrowing to see the anger and hatred on their faces, and the fact they were armed and ready to attack them without a moment's notice.

"Come on," Rikku said, inching towards the stairs. "Let's go find Dona."

* * *

The temple itself was bare yet again. The antechamber before the Cloister of Trials had only a few machina stationed around it, as well as Rikku's created machina. She grinned and set upon all of them, reducing them all to no more than scrap within the blink of an eye. Satisfied, she looked back and winked, explaining that she could use the machina parts later on.

It was one of the only times that they had managed to pass through the Cloister of trials without encountering the harsh flames that blocked their passage. Both times before the trials had been alive and waiting, all because of the Fayth's presence within. Now it was as empty and dead as each and every Chamber of Fayth.

Lian sniffed at the air curiously, not trusting what lay ahead. Each of them seemed tense and nervous as they approached the Chamber, wondering what lay within. Obviously something had happened, as Dona was holed up in there. What though, none of them could say.

The door opened upwards with a rusty creak, granting them all passage into the ancient room. The now ever-present hole stared up at them with hollow invitation, willing them all to explore the depths below.

Behind it stood Dona, sweat and strain on her face as her hands gripped tightly to her staff. She had constructed a strange box borne of protect magic, and within was sealed Barthello, screaming angrily at the so called 'traitors'.

"He resists my sleep magic," she explained with strain in her voice. "But still has not been able to turn me into a pawn." She looked past them at Lian and Ayde, eyes wide for a moment before she accepted they were on side with her allies, and thus on her side.

Ayde stepped forwards with cat-like grace. He sniffed at Barthello and growled angrily, fangs bared in threat. In a blur of motion he shattered the shields between them and grabbed the man, applying pressure to his neck. The man struggle and squirmed, even as Dona gasped and raced forwards, watching only in horror as he fell limp a moment later.

"He is alive," Lian grunted with typical bluntness. "Ayde has only rendered him unconscious. He was a threat whilst awake."

Dona nodded reluctantly, pulling sweat-soaked hair from her face. "Well," she started, placing hands on her hips. "We've completed one part of our proposal. I suppose now we should set about clearing the temple of the remaining indoctrinated and begin to fortify it as a base."

Nilus nodded his agreement. He went to speak, though his mouth snapped shut as a despairing sound began to fill the chamber. It was so familiar and haunting that each of them shuddered as a cold chill raced up their spine.

Coming from the hole in the chamber were pyreflies, floating hauntingly up and coalescing within a small bundle.

"What?" Rikku yelped, hands on her weapons. It wasn't a good sign – nothing good had _ever_ come from the Farplane.

Slowly, the pyreflies began to take shape. They formed the visage of a small tanned boy, hidden within a large purple cloak. The hood shielded his eyes, keeping his face hidden within shadow. He floated before them all, eyes fixed on them from underneath his hooded face. And slowly, a small smile spread on his face.

"Hello everyone," said the child, ancient boy-Fayth of Bahamut.

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**Trivia:**

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Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a  
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**To be continued...**


	16. To Rebuild Spira

**(Chapter 16; To Rebuild Spira)**

Ethereal calm passed through them all as the ancient soul floated before them all, a small smile spread across his face. He was many things, Bahamut, Fayth of one of the strongest aeons to grace Spira, wisest of the Fayth themselves and the spokesman for them all.

His presence was also the sign of bad things to come.

"No, no, no!" Nilus exclaimed, pressing hands to the side of his head as he backed away. "You _can't_ be here! You're not allowed to be! The Fayth are _gone!_ You've moved on! Stop coming back! Every time you do it's always something bad that's going on!"

Dona stared at the man in silent shock. She was once a summoner, she knew the power of these souls. And here he was, openly disrespecting one of the strongest of them all? It made no sense to her, and she barely managed to keep her mouth shut from making a comment. Instead, she found herself amazed into silence that the Fayth was willing to appear before them all; she had only ever seen the Fayth herself when she prayed for their aid. Yuna had once mentioned that this Fayth had visited her and Tidus both, as well as the Gullwings when they were on the Farplane, but Dona had never believed it.

Until now.

Lian and Ayde, meanwhile, found themselves transfixed by the creature before them. They were no strangers to the Fayth; they had grown up on Mount Gagazet, where what was now the Fayth Scar was once filled as far as the eye could see with ancient Fayth, the survivors of Zanarkand's war a thousand years ago. However, they had only ever seen them in statue form. The spirit before them smelt like the statues, yet was so more powerful than anything they could ever have conceived. Elder Kimahri had mentioned that he had seen the Fayth in spirit form when they had journeyed to the temples again for the Fayth's guidance, and that they had smelt and felt infinitely powerful, and that words could not do it justice.

Both young Ronso found themselves agreeing with their Elder's words. It was brilliant, frightening and exhilarating all at once.

And yet, they never wanted to experience it again.

Despite the adverse reaction, Bahamut continued to float eerily with a small, knowing smile tugging at his lips. "If I depart, I won't be able to help you in your quest. You _do_ want to cure everyone, correct?"

Nilus mumbled his reluctant acceptance and folded his arms. "What happened to you? You've always been rather subtle, never such a smart-ass."

The boy's soul smiled at him. "Sometimes people only listen to a smart-ass."

Rikku found herself torn. On the one hand, the Fayth had always granted them the base knowledge they needed to complete their quests, on the other, he always managed to bring bad news. It was like he was a magnet for it; except he'd simply float back to the Farplane and leave the living to deal with everything that chased after him. She placed her hands on her hips and asked, "So where are you gonna start then? You've got a lot of explaining to do buster!"

The Fayth turned and smiled at her. "There is a lot you need to know, though I can only explain it for a short time. Every time we Fayth awake from our slumber to visit the physical world, we risk more spirits finding their way out of the Farplane. The likes of Shuyin and Seymour are tame compared to some of the departed." He let that sink in with sinister calm and rose a few inches into the air. "I should apologise. Everything that is occurring now is a result of what we urged you to do four years past."

Dona blinked. "What do you mean? Four years ago they defeated Sin. They sacrificed you to defeat it and severed the bonds between summoner and Fayth completely." Oddly, her voice came out completely calm and without malice. She knew it was for the best, after all, and knew if she was given the chance to defeat Sin, she would have done it in exactly the same way as Yuna, if she could. "Are you saying you made them do it?"

He nodded. "Precisely. We told you to let us rest, and took with us our protection of the temples and towns, as well as every area of Spira we Fayth influenced. We now know it was partially a mistake."

Nilus caught himself a moment. "You're saying you want to start dreaming again?"

"No," Bahamut whispered in calm. "When Shuyin infected us with his grief and caused fiends to pour from the temples, he showed us the smallest of flaws within our plan. Because our protection no longer exists in Spira, the fiends are stronger than ever. We told you to abandon it all, yet without the Sendings, more and more lost souls are becoming fiends."

It explained a lot. Fiends were becoming more rampant and vicious, and it seemed that for every death there was in Spira now, there were at least ten fiends to compensate for the one lost soul. It was as if Spira were attempting to keep itself in equilibrium; in the time of Sin, hundreds would die weekly. Now, there would be less than ten each week, on a bad week. The population of fiends would have declined naturally, but without the Sendings, every lost soul was becoming a fiend, hell-bent on bringing the living into the Farplane's cradle.

"We needed someone to rectify the balance," he explained, lowering himself a foot. "We searched the entirety of Spira, as well as our memories of Dream Zanarkand, and found no one that could help us rectify our mistake. And so, we searched the past."

Nilus caught on immediately. "And you found Maelys."

The Fayth nodded. Maelys herself was beyond confused. Dream Zanarkand, Sin, Shuyin, Seymour... _everything_ that had been mentioned was like another language to her. She could understand the odd word, but everything else was nothing more than noise. And now she was being told that she was chosen by the strange spirit in order to save the future? It was nothing short of confusing.

And infinitely frightening.

"Why me?" she grunted. "Why me out of _everybody?_"

Bahamut smiled. It was an eerie gesture; a smile born of adult wisdom found on a child's face. He could have been no older than Maelys when he was sacrificed, and yet he possessed wisdom that could have only been obtained in death. "Because you are the only one that can do what needs doing."

"How?" Rikku asked, bewildered. "How can she be the only person in the whole of _history_ that's capable?" Her arms flailed wildy at her sides. Surely there's someone else waiting to be born that can do it? Surely there's a summoner or something that could train to do it!" She caught herself a moment, arms dropping to her sides. "Just what _is_ it you need doing anyway?"

He looked at her and shook his head a minuscule amount. "She is not the 'only' one in history, merely the first we encountered. The problem is; we need someone with the ability _now_. There are people with potential, people that can learn what needs doing if given enough time to train. However, Spira does not have that time anymore. If we had left this all alone, every denizen of Spira would die within the year."

Deafening silence filled the room. Spira would have died within the year? It just didn't seem possible! It was the _Eternal _Calm, for Fayth's sake! What was the point in calling it 'eternal' if it were to lead to their doom in less than five years?

"But our action also led to Spira's current turmoil," he explained, sorrowfully. He turned to look at Maelys, meeting her eyes from within his hood. "We found you within the underground complex. But the entire fortress had brilliant magical shields erected; so strong that not even we could break them. It lay in the problem that we Fayth had only just been sacrificed then; we did not have the power we do now." He noticed their looks of confusion and smiled. "Think of it like transfering your consciousness into your seven year old self. You have all your current self's wisdom and experience, but you have the power limitations of your younger self. That is why we could not act instantly.

"We managed to travel back and wait, watching you silently as you lived." He focused entirely on Maelys, and she herself shrunk back under the attention. The boy... he felt _creepy_. Like he shouldn't be there, yet he still was. She didn't like it, or by extension, him. "Your power amazed us all; you managed to focus and train yourself enough to use even the most basic magic within such a location where even the strongest mages would fail. We waited until you managed to escape, until you were above ground and in a location we could transport you from."

"The throne room," she whispered, recollecting the events. The portal had never felt like one of her own magic, yet at the same time had felt so safe she couldn't _not_ jump into it. "You created the portal for me."

He shook his head. "Your will sent out the basic formation for the portal. However, it would have only lasted a split second if we had not assisted. However-" he hung his head in guilt, "-we made another oversight. Our powers, combined with your own made the portal open for a minute, rather than just long enough for you to flee through. Because of our actions, you made it to our Spira, but so did Saeleos."

It made perfect sense. There was no way the girl could have _ever_ managed to time skip a thousand years by her own will. There had to have been outside help, and they found themselves looking at it. The Fayth; responsible for almost everything that occurred within Spira.

"We tried to fix it when we realised," he told them. "We tried to send him to the Omega Ruins, and you to Besaid. We knew if you found Yuna and her allies, they could help you do what needed doing, and he would hopefully perish in the Omega Ruins."

"Except you got it wrong," Rikku said gravely. "Maelys ended up in Omega, and Saeleos in Besaid. Then he-he-" she hiccupped, forcing back the tears she felt threaten her. "He took over Yunie and _everyone_ there, and it's _all your fault!"_ she wailed, lashing out at the apparition before her. Her fists went plain through the Fayth and she fell to the floor, kneeling before him in a near-sobbing state.

Lian grunted as Nilus crouched beside the sobbing girl. "Elder Kimahri always said magic was potent ally and enemy at once. Lian did not think Fayth misunderstand magic like the living."

Bahamut turned to look at Lian, a small smile on his face. "We were, and are, still human. Even with a thousand year's knowledge, we still don't fully understand the limits and repercussions of our abilities."

Dona found that now, after hearing everything, the once revered Fayth was nothing more than he appeared; a child. They had all tried to help, and instead had managed to make everything worse than it should have been. Because of them, Barthello was one of the mindless thralls, subject to every whim of this 'Saeleos'. "Then why did you try to help at all?" she growled, striking the air. "Because of you, our final year on Spira is now going to be under the indoctrination of a man who should have died a millennia ago!"

He bowed his head once more in apology. "It can still be made right," he said, looking up to face her. "Saeleos can be defeated, and you can make sure Spira survives the coming year, as well as every year it should see until its natural death. If we don't act now, Spira _will_ be dead by the end of the year."

Everyone within the room was suddenly sombre. "What needs doing?" Nilus asked, voice drained of emotion. They were beaten, well and truly. They knew that now, and knew the Fayth wouldn't lie to them. Before they thought they would have fought the idea with every breath of their body, and now, they found themselves strangely accepting of Spira's doom.

The Fayth seemed to hesitate a moment. Obviously, this was going to be the deal-breaker. "Spira needs new Fayth. Only a new set of Fayth and aeons can guard Spira against everything."

Nilus was on his feet in an instant. "You want us to create Fayth again? You were dreaming and in our servitude for a _thousand_ years! You actually want people to suffer exactly like you did? You think people would actually volunteer to become a Fayth, knowing they would be locked in servitude until the day Spira dies? No one, no matter who, is going to sacrifice themselves for that."

Bahamut sighed heavily. Being nothing more than a spirit, he had no actual need for breathing; a sigh was nothing more than a statement. "I know it may be hard to do, but look past what has occurred in the past. We now know a new method of binding Fayth, were you obtain a Fayth's powers from anyone – living or dead. Their spirit would be bound to a statue, as before, but the spirit could choose to pass on when they wanted – as long as there was another Fayth to take their place."

Dona found the flaw instantly. "And what if there is no other Fayth to take their place? What if they wish to pass on, and no summoner is there to create a new Fayth, or there are no living creatures left to create a Fayth?"

Bahamut shook his head once more. "It's not a binding, more a moral choice. The spirit _can_ leave whenever they please, but ideally should find someone to take their place, lest Spira fall into doom again. The living people can carry on their lives completely unaffected, and when they pass on, can choose whether to remain on Spira as their Fayth for some time, or whether to depart completely to the Farplane."

Rikku sat on her feet shakily, wiping her eyes. "There's got to be a catch somewhere."

He smiled once more. "The only catch is that the Fayth is entirely different, depending on the person who makes up the spirit. Some may be completely self-righteous, or others may choose to abuse their power and use their aeon form to attack all and everyone. There is also a more present advantage to creating new Fayth," he whispered, knowing he caught their attention. "By creating new Fayth, the town or location in which they are created is protected entirely by their magic. If, for example, you bound a Fayth here, you would be able to cleanse the area of all the adverse magic being used on the town – people and all."

Hope flared within each and every one of them. "Protection will cleanse people of magic that controls them," Lian summarised.

Bahamut nodded. "Correct. If you bind a Fayth to a location, you will undo Saeleos' control of everyone within."

Maelys found herself wanting to believe him completely. She knew of summoning, as it was a practice even in her time. She did not recognise the Fayth before her, but knew of many others in her time. There were at least twenty she could name that existed within her time, and yet now she knew there were none. But she knew how strong Saeleos was, and knew he could find some way to work it into his favour. "What if Saeleos binds with the Fayth? Can he then override their protection and take over the town?"

Bahamut was silent for a moment. "He won't be able to bind with the Fayth. They will be able to choose who they bind with, just like we could when we existed. No Fayth would willingly become one with Saeleos."

"Shuyin managed to control you all two years ago," Nilus pointed out. "What if Saeleos is able to control the new Fayth just like he could"

The Fayth floated for a moment, hesitant in his answer. "In such a case, he could take control again."

At least he was honest about it. Everyone present found themselves conflicted by the idea; knowing they could potentially save everyone, yet at the same time, give Saeleos even more power. Yet, if they did it quickly enough, they could surprise him and reclaim Spira for themselves. It was a risk worth taking.

Nilus took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "Alright. We'll do it – though it's not like we have much choice in the matter."

Bahamut smiled once more, though shook his head slowly. "Your acceptance and conviction is reassuring, but it is not your permission that is needed." He floated down at stopped before Maelys. "It is hers."

She took a step back in alarm. "M-mine?"

He nodded. "Only you have the power to create new Fayth. You see ghosts, do you not?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "They're not ghosts," he said with conviction. "What you see are actually souls that can be used as Fayth; spirits powerful enough to create a new aeon and offer protection. The brighter the ghost you see, as well as the more solid it seems, the more power and protection it shall offer. At this moment in time, you are the only person who can create them, and who can then summon their abilities for you aide."

Understanding hit them all. "That's why you chose her then," Rikku whispered. "But what about other people, huh? Can they actually be trained to see the souls they can use?"

Bahamut shook his head. "No. They will train to understand and feel the change of magic flow around these individuals, and only a certain few will be able to see the spirits as Maelys does."

She blinked, trying to understand it all. She was the only one that could create Fayth at this moment in time... she was the only one that could take the spirit from the living body and somehow make it so they could carry on living as if nothing had ever changed. She would be the only one in Spira capable of summoning the aeons that came to their aide.

She could get the power she needed to have revenge on Saeleos.

"I'll do it," she grunted with a small nod.

"Where are we to find a person suitable then?" Dona asked practically. "The vast population of Kilika are nothing more than thralls, and if we go to kidnap one of them, we risk becoming one or even having them all rush to kill us here."

The Fayth smiled his strange, eerie smile. "In any normal circumstances, yes. But it just so happens someone in this very chamber is the perfect candidate to begin a new spiral."

Dona backed away, pressing herself against the wall in alarm. She did _not_ like the way the Fayth-child was staring at her. "Why are you looking at me?" she demanded, horrifically aware of the transfixed gaze of both children in the room.

Maelys took a deep breath. "You have a ghost that follows you." She squinted a moment, further analysing the ex-summoner like meat on a market stall. "Wait, the ghost _is_ you. It's like... it comes from you. It glows and wanders away sometimes, though now it keeps looking towards the hole in the middle of this chamber."

Dona blinked in alarm. "_I'm_ to be the Fayth for Kilika?" She shook her head violently, wanting nothing more to not believe what she was hearing. Despite all the Fayth's reassurances, she couldn't shake the mentality that she was to be sacrificed to become the Fayth. In any other circumstance, she would have willingly given her life to aide Spira... now... she had the unborn life within her to think about.

Bahamut seemed to know the exact thoughts racing through her mind. "No harm shall come to you. Neither shall any to the child in your womb. Both of you shall remain unscathed from the experience, though you yourself may feel slightly lighter after the experience."

She took a deep breath, steeling her resolve. Spira needed to be saved. Kilika needed to be returned to normal. _Barthello_ needed to be normal for her and her child. No harm would come to them, and everything would return back to the way it should be. She would have been nothing more than selfish if she refused the offer.

Heart racing in her breast, she swallowed nervously. "I'll do it," she whispered, stepping slowly from the wall. She straightened herself and made herself look tall, adjusting both her hair and clothing. "I shall become the Fayth you need for Kilika."

"Very well," Bahamut nodded. He turned to Maelys and spread his arms out, looking imploringly at the girl. "You shall need to accept my help to do this now. Afterwards, you shall know everything you need to do in order to create more Fayth."

Maelys gulped, though nodded her head. The spirit of Bahamut rushed into her chest, becoming one with a small burst of light. She gasped and sunk to her knees, eyes fluttering beneath her eyelids. She was only dimly aware of everyone's calls of concern for her, sparsely aware of her own surroundings at the time. It was like she was watching everything that happened five seconds after it had already happened. It was both interesting and frightening, and she found herself not wanting to repeat the experience again.

"_Focus,"_ Bahamut's voice said within her. "_Focus on the magic you feel within you, and I shall guide you in this attempt."_

Everyone watched in tense silence as the girl nodded an answer to an invisible question. Ancient words formed on her lips, silently flowing around the chamber they occupied. Glyphs began to appear on the walls and winds whirled around them all, circling around them at ever-increasing speeds.

Dona seemed to be enthralled by it all, and strangely at peace. Glyphs appeared beneath her, and slowly a large, golden light seemed to come from her. Her eyelids closed gently and her head fell back limp as the light pulled itself from her body, sensing its chance to be in the real world. Lights began to burst within the chamber, and slowly it began to fill with the undeniable air of magic. Everything became warped and distant, and it felt like they were being pulled from this world and into another.

Rikku crouched low and pressed her hands to her chest. "What's happening?"

Maelys turned to her, though spoke with Bahamut's voice. "To bind the Fayth to a statue, you must fight and defeat them on their plain."

Rikku leapt to her feet in alarm. "What?"

And suddenly, the world exploded into white.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ none  
**

**

* * *

Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a  
_

_

* * *

_

**To be continued...**


	17. The New Aeon

**(Chapter 17; The New Aeon)**

**-X-X-X-  
**

Everything around them was a large expanse of white. Blistering, visible silver winds howled in the distance, circling around them all, effectively sealing them in. They stood on a large, ethereal circular platform that stretched as far as the eye could see, though was clear enough to allow them a view below their feet. The entire world was abuzz with whites and silvers and would have been beautiful at any other time.

Except now the five of them found themselves displaced roughly into the strange surroundings. They each stood slowly and adjusted themselves to their new surroundings, all deathly aware of the threat the eerie location can bring.

Lian growled at the new surroundings. "Place smell strange. Like should not exist."

Rikku smiled nervously at him. "The Fayth told us something just before we got warped here. He said we had to fight the aeon on their plain." She shivered and rubbed her arms despite not feeling cold. "We're probably in some strange plain of existence between our world and the Farplane that the aeons come from."

"Which makes me wonder how we're actually surviving here," Nilus said as he looked around.

Maelys gripped her moogle tightly. "The aeon's magic is protecting us." She didn't know how she knew, she just _did_. It had to have been something to do with the Fayth joining with her to let her create the Fayth; she no longer felt his presence though could feel the new amounts of knowledge bursting through her brain.

In the middle of their new platform, pyreflies began to hum and coerce. All five of them were on guard immediately, tense and waiting for the new threat.

The distant hum of sadness gave way as a figure began forming from the souls. Silvery winds whipped round them all with increased speeds as a strange, distant and familiar song echoed all around them.

"_I... e...yui..."_

Rikku gripped her knives tight. "No way!" she breathed.

"The hymn?" whispered Nilus, confused.

"_No... bo...menu..."_

It was undeniably female, and held the faint undertones of sadness the hymn usually carried. Though strangely, it filled them all with hope; a desire to repair the damage to Spira, and to protect the continent from all that would harm it.

"_Re... –enn... miri..."_

The pyreflies twisted in a swirling vortex, faster and faster, making even more winds whip and slash at them all.

"_Yoju... yo... go... _

"_Hasa... teka... nae..._

"_Kuta... ma... –ae..."_

The pyreflies exploded outwards.

Blustering winds assaulted them all. The pyreflies drifted upwards and away, revealing the aeon beneath.

She had a female human form covered barely by a thin corset that exposed her navel and a flowing, transparent dress over her waist. Long, flowing blonde hair cascaded behind her, trailing down as far as her hips. Her pale white skin had large red tribal tattoos over her exposed navel and arms, and two small arrows above her eyebrows. Deep set crystal blue eyes stared at them all with both annoyance and hope, and she walked barefoot across the ethereal plain.

The aeon slashed horizontally at the air as a strange, distant voice that seemed a warped version of Dona's echoed all around them. _"Meet the new aeon... Siren. Prepare yourselves summoner party._" Two large, pure white wings erupted from her back, and all hell broke loose.

She suddenly _appeared_ before them all and lashed out with a vicious spiral kick, catching them all and knocking them a distance back. Ayde roared in primal fury as he landed on his forepaws and sprung forwards, launching himself as a flying missile of fangs, fur and claws. Siren simply _flowed_ around each of his primal strikes and kicked him under this chin, managing to knock him flying back, yowling the whole way. She dropped to the floor and ducked low as Lian's spear pierced the air above her. She reached up, grabbed the weapon and yanked backwards, making the Ronso tumble towards her. She placed a hand on his temple and pressed magic into him, making him freeze completely in motion.

Siren danced backwards as an arrow flew at her, watching calmly as it sailed clean past her. She glanced towards Nilus and flicked a palm as purple lightning spiralled from her hand. He stepped backwards as it crashed into the floor before him and lifted his own hands, forming balls of fire within. He threw them with surprising force even as Maelys jumped forwards and began to throw her own blasts of magic at the creature.

Siren blinked at them both and threw her hands towards the heavens. A bright orange shield burst into life before her and casually absorbed the attacks as her wings beat down heavily on the floor. Small sickle blades of pure air span in every direction, slashing and slicing into everyone present.

Rikku winced as the wind blades bit into her. She leapt forth and tossed Ayde a remedy to use on the stopped Lian, even as she slid beneath the new magical attacks from her allies. She leapt to her feet and threw herself at Siren, knives becoming a blur of motion as she lashed out in every direction. She felt the familiar bite as the knives found flesh, and she began to hack away at the aeon, finding more often that her assaults were blocked by the creature's arms. She gasped as pressure exploded in her stomach, and fell to the floor, winded as Siren flew back, wings beating furiously.

She launched herself above them all, flying far out of the reach of any of their assaults. Pyreflies drifted before her, taking on a strange, translucent shape. She reached out and grabbed the object, plucking the harp from the very air itself. Her fingers ran across the strings with expert grace, and a song began to resonate from the instrument. It was strange; comforting and uplifting at once, though it seemed to suck something from the very air itself. All at once the magic in the air rushed back, exploding everywhere at once in a number of powerful blasts.

She touched down lightly on the floor, only to receive to large breaths of fire to the face. She flipped backwards from the force and caught herself in the air, in time to be knocked back by an arrow that slammed against her wrist, making her drop the harp in her grip. It dropped to the floor with an audible clang, and the aeon glared at them all in rage.

Rikku growled as the aeon continued to float out of range. She noticed Maelys attempt to charge forth and quickly placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head gently. Aeons were immune to all status effects, she reflected, remembering Yuna's many summoned beasts. Given the aeon was also flying out of range for now, she found herself having nothing to do. With no other choice than to play medic, she reached into a pouch and pulled out a small salve of echo screen. She motioned for Maelys to stay still as she rubbed the ointment over her throat, coaxing the vocal cords to begin to work again.

Aeons always had at least one or two special techniques that only they could use. Obviously Siren could cause widespread silence with hers. In addition to being able to learn vast amounts of magic, the creatures could also surpass their limits with specialist techniques people could also use. They were attacks made out of desperation towards some cicrumstance, and once people knew what they were doing, they could perform it again and again when they were desperate enough. The show of pulsing red mana was always the tell-tale indicator that the person was surpassing their limits for a moment, and usually the results were disastrous. She knew she didn't want to feel that, and hoped they could defeat her long before she got the chance to unleash it on them all.

Siren flicked her head, knocking her hair away behind her. A blast of strange purple magic slammed into her temples, filling her with immeasurable pain beyond compare. She growled and touched down a distance away from them all, gathering pyreflies from the surrounding environment. She stalked towards them all with arms spread out, palms held up and out, her face a picture of contempt. She was Siren, a creature born of beauty and desire; but there was a side hidden to all. The pyreflies swarmed her completely, and the facade of beauty fell away completely from her.

Underneath, was a monster.

Her flesh became a dull greyish green and seemed to be rotting away. Huge chunks of flesh were exposed over her body, and her once-pristine clothes were caked with blood and gore. Her hair was in tatters behind her head, though managed to fall down either side of her face. Underneath her hair, her face was sheer terror. An eyeball dangled freely from one socket and the other fixed them all with a blank stare. She took a breath, bent forwards and screamed loudly enough to shatter eardrums. Her mouth stretched far enough to fit a blitzball within, and they each got the sight of her many pointed teeth, all sharp and wanting their blood.

Lian's tail twitched. "Lian does not like aeons."

Nilus glanced at him and smiled. He rolled his eyes, making his unspoken statement of agreement. He fired an arrow at Siren, watching only as she bent backwards away from his strike and still managed to catch Ayde in her grip. She smiled at the Ronso and opened her mouth, threatening to bite off his head only for Lian to skewer her stomach with his spear. She dropped her Ronso prey and turned to smile at the other, expression broadening as he pulled out his spear and looked in horror as she continued to advance. She was like something out of a horrific film, and even as Maelys hammered her with psychic blasts and Rikku weaved around her and slashed her decomposing body, she pressed on regardless.

The cause of it all was obvious. _Zombie!_ Nilus realised with a small, silent grunt. His hands dove into his pockets and pulled out two small vials of potion, and as quick as he could he uncorked them both and threw them at the aeon. They shattered against her, coating her with green liquid as she shrieked with agony as the potions burned at her undead body, steaming and eating away at her rotting flesh.

She bent over backwards, and everybody _heard_ her spine snap. Like a predator, she flipped her body over, crouching low to the ground on bent arms and legs. Her loose eye dangled from her face and nearly touched the floor, and a low, warbling groan of a gargle emerged from her throat and sent chills down each of their spines.

Then she scuttled at them like a spider. For an undead creature with a snapped spine and on all fours, she moved _extremely_ fast. She launched herself at Nilus at tore a chunk of flesh out of his arm, only to leap off him and land expertly on Rikku and tear a chunk out of her shoulder.

She cackled as another psychic blast knocked her off her food, though this time the strange silver winds began to pulse a horrible, blood red. Rikku sat up and winced, pressing a hand to her bleeding shoulder as everything seemed to go deathly quiet around them. She caught sight of Nilus grimacing and holding onto his bleeding arm, and saw that Maelys and the Ronso were transfixed in horror at the aeon.

A deathly chill ran through the air. Siren cackled and focused her magic as best she could, channelling it into the very ground beneath them. Glyphs began to appear on the floor, and slow, haunting moans began to circle around them. All of a sudden a hand burst through the floor, clutching at the ground in attempt to pull itself out.

Rikku would have screamed, had she not been afflicted by silence magic. Instead her panicked cry came out completely silent, and she scurried backwards as more and more hands burst from the ground. Her party did the same, each jumping backwards as more ghostly hands tried to grab them.

One by one, the hands pulled the rest of their bodies from the ground. Each of them were decomposing, some in light states, some were they could fully see their skeletons and internal organs. They all moaned and looked towards them, ignorant of their organs spilling out of their bodies, or even their intestines dragging along the floor. The remains of their clothes seemed to be those of sea-farers, though not one of them had a complete uniform.

Behind them all, Siren snapped her fingers.

And the zombie hoard attacked.

They raced forwards in greedy rage, devouring everything and anything they could come across in their path. Unbelievable pain coursed through each and every one of the living, multiple bite wounds opening up all over their flesh even as they screamed and shouted in pain.

Then just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

Each and every one of them was hunched over, panting for breath and just to stay conscious. Blood seeped from their wounds and pooled beneath each of them, bubbling on the strange platform they stood on.

Ayde roared in rage. His eyes became completely cloaked in animalistic fury as he raced forwards, intent on harming she who had harmed him. Prime instinct guided him; all conscious thought thrown away to the abilities of the berserker. He howled and leapt upon Siren, growling viciously as his claws tore chunks of flesh from her. He snarled in contempt as his large paws gripped around her head, and with unreal strength he ripped her screaming head from her body. He glared at his new trophy with ravenous hunger, though yelped in alarm as it burst into pyreflies in his very hands.

"_Well done,"_ the aeon's voice complimented them. The pyreflies sung and formed before them once more, though this time formed the more familiar image of Dona. She looked exactly the same, except her hair was unbound and curled down, gracing her face and complimenting her appearance. She smiled at them all and pressed her hands together, whispering softly. "Your wounds shall be healed, summoner party." A bright light engulfed them all, and true to her word, every scratch and bloody wound was completely healed without a trace. She turned towards Maelys and bowed deeply, straightening with a proud smile. "You have bested me summoner, and so now I grant you my aeon. Use her wisely in your travels, and I will help you save Spira from her plague."

The spirit of Dona floated towards and into Maelys, filling her with an innumerable sense of power flush through her. What she wasn't expecting, however, was the amount of emotions it brought with her. There was intense pain, followed by a strange sense of loss, hope, joy, and then finally she felt anger... anger that the world was falling into another spiral.

Maelys blinked, finding her eyelids incredibly heavy. She looked around at all of her allies, healed and smiling, and found herself smiling too.

Then the world faded completely to black, not moments before she herself passed out.

* * *

Everything came slowly back into focus. They were again in the Chamber of Fayth, though this time there was no eerie boy-Fayth floating before them all. Instead, they found Dona stood before them, seemingly waiting for them to return, and a still-unconscious Barthello propped up against the side wall.

Dona swept hair from her face. "Nice of you all to return." Her features softened a moment. "Did it work?"

Nilus stood shakily and glanced over at Maelys. She was curled up, foetal position on the floor, completely unconscious. He walked to her and picked her up, bridal style in his arms. "It worked," he confirmed.

Rikku smiled as she tested her shoulder. "Remind me never to piss you off though. That was a _seriously_ tough fight."

Dona smirked. "Nice to know I gave you a run for your money. I thought it had worked though," she told them, and nodded towards the centre of the chamber. "The hole's no longer there," she whispered, "though I'm not entirely certain I like looking at what's covering it. It's nothing short of haunting to look at a Fayth statue of myself."

Following her gaze, the four of them looked towards the new statue in the chamber. It was a strange grey base, over which a woman's bare body had been engraved. Her left half was almost completely Dona; she had dark skin tones, black hair tied up in a bun, and her arm stretched out towards the side. On the right, however, it merged into a swirling mass of white, silver and blue, seeming more ghost than person. A harp was clutched in it's outstretched hand, and beneath it were a number of grey hands reaching up from the ground.

"I don't know what the Fayth side symbolises," Dona said as she walked towards the statue. "But I'm fairly certain I don't _want_ to know." She glanced towards them all. "Whatever you fought in there, kindly keep it to yourselves. I don't wish to see myself as an aeon; I don't wish to see my Fayth's spirit until I pass from this world and watch over Kilika."

Rikku smiled at the woman. She found it amazing how Dona's Fayth spirit seemed to be completely unlike her... though she supposed in some way it was Dona perfectly, just without the shell. Doubtlessly, Dona was caring beneath her exterior, as she would never have become a summoner or attempted to save Barthello if she was truly as uncaring as she pretended. She supposed that the Fayth spirits were simply themselves, without any form of shielding or pretence. They were who they were, and they made no effort to hide it.

_That's how Spira should be_, she reflected. _A place where anyone can be exactly who they are, without needing to worry about what other people think._ She sighed. It would have been a perfect world; where Yuna could have just lived as 'Yuna' rather than 'Lady Yuna' or even 'High Summoner Yuna'. She was never allowed to be without her titles, and even though she had help in defeating both Sin and Vegnagun, she received all the praise, whilst her allies faded into the background, welcoming the relative anonymity.

She found herself wondering if that was what it would be like when they defeated Saeleos. Yuna was under his control now, as much as it pained her to admit it. But if they managed to defeat him and save her, would Spira somehow turn it around so that Yuna was yet again their saviour? She smiled at the thought. It would be nice to return everything to normal, then go back to helping out pops or even diving to the sea floor and finding new machina. As long as Rikku had respect from people, she didn't care whether they worshipped her or pretending that she never helped out. She was content with a life away from the spotlight, and could empathise with Dona's want to not see herself as a Fayth. It was no different to having people sing your praises every time you went nearby, or even making small, miniature doll replicas of yourself.

Even if Rikku did secretly keep one of those in her trunk in the Celsius. At least she did, before the airship blew up.

Nearby the chamber's entrance, Barthello groaned in pain. Dona was instantly by his side, her hands pressed gently on his shoulders. The man groaned once more and his eyelids fluttered open a moment later. "D-dona?" he breathed, not believing his eyes.

She smiled. "Some Guardian."

"Dona!" he exclaimed, gripping her hands within his. "I remember it all! There was a voice, it prayed within my skull and made me do things. I'm so sorry Dona! I-"

"Shh," she cut him off, pressing a finger to his lips. "You're okay now, that's all that matters. "Although I'm fairly certain I should demote you from Guardian to simple cleaner. Spira knows you've created enough mess for us all to clean up."

"Dona," he breathed once more. "I swear it will never happen again. I'll do everything in my power to protect you."

"I know you will," she reassured him. She offered her hand, helping him to his feet, and she glowed with happiness. "Though there's something you should know," she said, smiling at his look of alarm. "I'm pregnant."

He fainted.

Dona blinked, sighed, and then laughed as she pressed a hand to her forehead. "I should have guessed that would happen. For a Guardian, he does have an amazingly low tolerance for surprise."

Rikku couldn't help herself. "Aww," she cooed. "That's so sweet." She smiled broadly, hopping on the spot. "So since he's back to normal, that must mean Kilika's all well again, right?" Her face brightened considerably. "It worked!" she cheered, laughing to herself. "It really worked!"

Dona nodded. "Once this one wakes up, we'll begin working on turning Kilika into a safe-haven. Obviously it won't change much, but there'll be guards watching the ships coming in and out, and we'll be refusing any ships coming from Besaid." She nodded towards Maelys. "Take her into the nun's chambers and let her rest. I have a feeling that if anyone sees you there, the only thing they'll be trying to kill you with will be apologies."

Nilus smiled. "Thanks."

She shook her head. "Thank _you_. You saved our town, brought everyone back to normal, and most importantly, you gave my husband back his sanity. And perhaps, more than that-" her hand drifted down her stomach, "-you made sure no harm came to my child." She bowed her head deeply. "Thank you all. You have my deepest gratitude. Now-" she cleared her throat, "do you mind? _Some_ of us have a town to organise."

Rikku and Nilus couldn't help but laugh. Everything was back to normal, and it filled them completely with hope. They'd managed to save Kilika, and created a new Fayth without sacrifice to protect the town.

Things were finally beginning to look up.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ Siren's overdrive is inspired by the myths surrounding the creature  
**

**

* * *

Trophy Unlocked: **_Siren's Seal. (Bronze). Bound the aeon Siren to Kilika temple.  
_

_

* * *

_

**Okay, so I'll give a quick explanation to everything behind Siren. Obviously her overdrive is taken from the myths that sirens would lead sailors to their death, except she commands all the souls of those she's killed. Her zombie appearance is also based on that, and would activate when she dipped below a certain amount of health. She'd get the benefits of haste, brave and faith, but she'd also suffer from weaker defences, and a weakness to healing magic.**

**To be continued...**


	18. Hope

**(Chapter 18; Hope)**

**-X-X-X-  
**

All was well again within Kilika. The peoples' sanity had been restored, a new fayth had been bonded to the temple, and they were free from any of Saeleos' tyranny. The whole town celebrated, and even from the nun's chambers all the way up in the temple, they could hear the festivities.

Ayde and Lian stood on either side of the door like two imposing bouncers. They communicated to each other by a series of grunts and growls, the only movements they actually made were occasional blinks or the twitching of their tails. Maelys slept soundly on a bed in the corner of the room, even as Rikku sat beside her, gently stroking the girl's hair. Opposite stood Nilus, face a mask as he watched out of the room's window.

"I can't believe it really worked," Rikku whispered, gleefully. "It means all we need to do is hop back to Besaid and bind a Fayth there, right?"

Nilus shook his head, remaining stoic. "It's not going to be that simple."

Lian grunted and spared a glance their way. "Everywhere must be protected."

"What he said," the archer said with a smile. "We've got to go everywhere we can and bond a Fayth to protect them. Not only Besaid, but everywhere there's people. And everywhere there's already a temple of Yevon," he added as an afterthought.

Rikku bounced to her feet in an instant. "But it's not going to be that hard, right? We just need to go to everywhere, find someone with a strong enough spirit and want to protect Spira to create a Fayth from, and bond them to the statue. Simple!"

Lian grunted once more. "Larger territory requires stronger protector. Cannot defend large places with little power."

Rikku's grin faded instantly. "So the aeons are gonna have to be more powerful then, huh?" she considered. "Which means we're gonna have to be strong enough to defeat them all."

"Exactly," Nilus muttered, gloomily. "We don't know what will happen if we lose a battle against the Fayth; any number of bad things could happen. We might die, or our failure might mean that a Fayth can no longer be bonded to that temple." He sighed and shook his head with one movement, turning to face everyone moments later. "We're a Summoner party now," he stated heavily. He looked towards Maelys. "Like it or not, it seems Summoners are back in Spira now. Which means Guardians are back too," he said, waving a hand towards the four of them. "Before we plan anything, we should consider that fact; are all of us here present willing to follow the Guardian's code for our new Summoner?" He lifted his own hand. "I know I will."

Rikku nodded moments later. "Me too! But-" she tilted her head, "Let's make sure this Summoner party succeeds as well as we did against Sin, hm?"

Lian nodded with a small rumble. "Lian would be honoured to be Guardian of Maelys." He stopped and looked at Ayde, understanding his companion's small throaty mumbles. "Ayde agrees too."

"Right," Nilus whispered with a contemplative frown. "Doubtless we need to go on a new pilgrimage now; from here to every place we can think of we need to place a Fayth. Besaid, Luca, Djose, Macalania, Bevelle, Gagazet-"

"-the Calm Lands too," Rikku jumped in. She pressed one hand to her chin and the other underneath an elbow. "If we're doing it anywhere there's people, then Bikanel too. And the temple of Baaj!" she declared with a jump. "There was an aeon there too, right?" She nodded her head to her own question. "And Zanarkand too; that always had the Final Aeon and Yunalesca as protectors."

"Gagazet had many Fayth," Lian grumbled. "Cannot produce so many again."

"That's different," Nilus said as he shook his head. "They were summoning something else – a dream of Zanarkand in it's prime." He sighed as Lian gave him a confused look – or what he assumed to be one. "I'm not sure if we need to create something on that large a scale, but it's definitely going to need to be a powerful one, to protect not only Gagazet but the floating ruins above it." He punched a fist into an open palm. "And Guadosalam! We can't risk the Farplane being tainted!"

Rikku shuddered at the thought of that. "But Saeleos can't control Guado, right?" she asked hopefully. "I mean, he couldn't control Barkeep or Darling, or even you two," she said, nodding at the two Ronso. "Obviously he can't control any race other than humans and Al Bhed."

Nilus shrugged and folded his arms. "Maybe, but I don't want to risk him learning how to control them too. Humans and Al Bhed are similar, that's most likely why he can control both," he theorised. "But he most likely can't control others because he has no experience with them. Maelys had never seen Hypello before, and she's still amazed by Ronso," he said with a slight nod towards their blue guards. "And she seems to not know about Guado either. I'm willing to wager Saeleos had no real experience with them either."

Rikku tapped her chin in thought. "You're right," she admitted. "Better to be safe than sorry, hm? But what do we do after that?" she wondered aloud. "I mean, sure, we can bond Fayth to every place within Spira, but Saeleos is still gonna be _strong._ The time we're taking to place a Fayth in each location is giving him the chance to become more powerful."

"Then we become more powerful too," Nilus stated. "We're on a pilgrimage now. Our Summoner has to train enough to bond the strongest aeons, and we have to train enough to defeat them in combat and protect her along the way. We've proved we can reverse the effects right here in Kilika, let's prove that we can stop them before they happen in the next town."

Rikku nodded exuberantly a moment, though deflated a minute later. Her arms hung limply by her shoulders as she thought on it. "They... they were aware the whole time, weren't they?"

"Given by how much Barthello's been begging Dona for forgiveness, I'd assume so," Nilus confirmed, morosely. "It was a lose-lose situation regardless; they either have no idea what they've done, or they remember it all."

Rikku nodded, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood as she thought about it. "But what if... what if it isn't completely because of Saeleos' control?" she asked. "If they're aware of what they're doing at the time, have they always been capable of this? Are they really as enslaved as we think?" _Do they really deserve saving?_ She left that question unvoiced. Of course they deserved saving! Everyone did!

"I don't know," Nilus admitted. "But what I do know is that Spira needs us. Everyone in Spira is depending on us." He paled visibly as his own words sunk in. It was a heavy burden to bear... the weight of the world, all resting on their actions. Fail, and they were either damning the world, or condemning others to carry on their charge. They had to succeed, regardless. He heard Maelys stir slightly and felt his heart go out for the girl. She couldn't have been older than ten, and yet here she was, thrust into the role of a summoner all to save a world she was never meant to live in.

"You'll see," he reassured them, as well as himself. "We'll complete this pilgrimage of ours successfully. Afterwards, we'll be reunited, everyone can be happy, Saeleos will be long gone and Maelys can live the care-free life she's meant to."

Rikku scratched at a cheek. "I suppose so," she said, unconvinced. "But as long as that remains our main objective; we save Spira, but _no_ sacrifices! Yunie created an age where we could get what we like, what we _deserve_ without having to sacrifice people we know and love. I say we carry that on." She looked to them all, face full of hope. "Two years ago, we proved the world could be saved without sacrifices. Now, we'll prove that a pilgrimage can be completed the same way."

Lian smiled at her. "Rikku speak strong words. Lian hope strength of words is powerful enough to create new Spira."

"It will be," Nilus assured him. He glanced over at Maelys once again and smiled at her completely rigid posture. Obviously she was attempting to feign sleep to eavesdrop on their conversation. "So kid, you agree with what you've heard?"

She gasped quickly and quietly, wondering how she'd been caught. She was so sure she was feigning sleep so well too! She grumbled to herself, deciding that she needed to observe the others in their sleeps and copy their movements... maybe that would make her pseudo-sleep more convincing. She nodded and pushed herself up, sitting on the bed with surprising awareness – it was obvious she'd been awake a while.

"Most of it," she said as she wiped sleep from her eyes. "Killing yourself for another _is_ stupid."

They shared a small laugh between them. At least they knew their new Summoner was on board their idea of no sacrifices.

Maelys stopped and stared at them all, feeling strangely crowded. It was like there was someone sat with her, even though she knew there wasn't. It was like her brain was hosting more people than ever, even though it should have only housed her thoughts. Her breath caught in her throat. It was like there was someone else sharing her body! She leapt to her feet in alarm, spinning in circles as if to find the source of the strange feeling that assailed her.

Nilus seemed to understand straight away. "Feel a bit crowded?" he asked, snapping her to attention. She stopped spinning and looked at him, nodding slowly and unsurely. "It'll pass," he reassured her with a smile. "What you're feeling now is the spirit of the aeon. Since it bonded with you, you've got the power to call it to your side." He tapped the side of his head in pantomime. "It'll feel a bit weird for a while, but soon enough it'll fade away."

She nodded and jumped down from the bed. She wasn't completely sure whether or not the constant noise would fade, but something in his voice made it seem certain to happen. "What do we do now?"

The four others looked between each other and shrugged. Collectively, they had no ideas as to where to go next. Thankfully they found their attention diverted as someone knocked on the door and stepped in moments afterwards.

Dona looked up and smiled at the two Ronso guards, stepping past them even before they nodded their silent approval. She stopped before the others and placed a hand on her hip. "Finally you're awake. Any longer and I was going to start charging."

Maelys stared hard at her even as Rikku and Nilus laughed. She didn't understand why they were laughing at all. If anything, it seemed like Dona was being completely rude. Completely lost, the girl huffed and crossed her arms childishly. She hated not understanding adults.

"The town's back to normal," Dona informed them. "Though apparently they're torn between wanting you there and wanting to jump into the sea and hide for a year. It seems they all feel complete regret as to their treatment of us." She sighed and pressed a hand to her head. "I haven't been able to take two steps without apologies being thrown at me. I swear; if someone apologises to me again, I'm going to skin them alive."

Rikku laughed at the woman's love-hate relationship with her town. "So how's Barthello doing?" she asked conversationally.

Dona's response was a scrunched face and an instant, "Urgh." She shook her head in dismay. "He's 'baby-proofing' our hut. Since we don't know whether it's going to be a boy or a girl, he's decided that the bottom floor shall be decorated all pink, and the top all blue."

Rikku winced. "Ouch. Poor you."

Nilus smirked and folded his arms. "I think more poor Barthello if he keeps it up."

"_Exactly_," Dona drawled. "Anyway, I came to tell you that the town have agreed to our idea. Once this party finishes they're going to begin building more huts where they can, as well as making a guard for the town and temple both."

"What about the Spiran Guard headquarters?" Rikku asked, bouncing on her heels.

Dona shrugged. "I can't say. They haven't made any new contact; perhaps they were all under the indoctrination too, perhaps they weren't and stayed there for safety, or perhaps they've all been slaughtered by a rogue lizard. I honestly can't say."

Rikku's eyes lit up with delight. "Sounds like someone should check it out!"

Lian grumbled disagreement. "Kilika saved, can deal with Kilika problems. Other towns need help more than Kilika."

Nilus groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He did _not_ want to hear an argument about what they should do next. "Dona, when's the next boat to Luca bound?"

She made quick calculations in her head. "Tomorrow evening."

He sighed and rubbed his chin in thought. "We've got a day then," he said, half in thought. "Would it be possible to get someone to take us there sooner?"

She nodded. "I'd say since you saved the town, people will be throwing themselves at your feet for any chance to make it up to you."

He smiled and tried to ignore the swell of ego that attacked him. "Right. So if we stay, we've got over a day to do whatever. If not, we can leave straight away." He sighed and shook his head. "We've got more than enough time to check the Guard base then. What do you guys think?"

Rikku was in favour of checking it, or course. "We should go there! They could be in trouble, or _anything! _They might think the town's still mad or anything!"

Lian once again voiced his disagreement. "Kilika deal with Kilika problems."

Nilus groaned and turned away from them both. Ayde simply met him with a blank stare and a shrug. Obviously he didn't care one way or the other. Maelys on the other hand, seemed interested, though still had as little of a concern.

"Not sure," she said, clutching her moogle in a strangle-hold. "It could be worth going there, it could have stuff we can use while we journey. But if we take too long, the mean man might take over somewhere else like he did here." She wavered on her feet and pressed a hand to her temple. "My head still hurts from putting a Fayth here."

Nilus pulled a face. If they did take too long, Saeleos _would_ be able to take over another town. However, it was obvious Maelys wasn't completely recovered from creating a new Fayth. He had no idea how much concentration the girl needed to bond one, and didn't want to risk her not having the energy to complete it. While they _could_ get some good items out of it – it was a national guard base after all – they could potentially be walking into a trap, after all, what if the aeon's protection didn't stem all the way to the base?

He groaned and pressed the heel of his palms into his eyes. Why did he have to make the decisions? Why was he looked to as leader of their group? He wanted nothing more than to go back to the good old days where it was him being told what to do. It was so much simpler, and so less physically and mentally demanding.

He blinked coloured spots from his vision and made the decision. "We'll go check it out," he decided. "Kilika may need to deal with their own problems, but if there's a trap left there, it'll be innocent, unarmed civilians that end up suffering, while we can take care of ourselves." At least everyone seemed pleased with his decision. Lian nodded his agreement – though being Ronso, Nilus couldn't fully tell whether he was completely agreeing, or whether he was merely resigned to his decision – while Rikku and Maelys both shared a smile.

Ayde just remained as stoic as ever.

"Dona," Nilus said, wondering how they were to save Spira with such a strange group of people. "Can we get someone to take us to the base, wait for us and take us to Luca when we're there?"

The ex-summoner nodded. "It's possible." She smirked and shook her head. "And I guess you want me to sort it out for you?" She scoffed and spread her arms out. "Not only am I organising a town to protect and accommodate for refuges, but I'm also to play secretary?" she said in good humour. "Careful, _Guardian_. Push your luck too far and you'll endure the wrath of an exhausted mother-to-be."

Rikku grinned at her. "Hey, do you want us outta your hair or not?"

The ex-summoner folded her arms. "Good point," she conceded. "I'll tell them to have the boat waiting for you in three hours by the town-forest gate. If you're late, you can just swim."

"Thanks Dona!" Rikku called, waving her hand even as the woman retreated and left them. "So, what do we do now?" she asked, spinning to face her group.

"Bond Fayth in temples," Lian rumbled. "Protect towns and people."

"He's right," Nilus agreed, taking a small step forwards, placing himself in the middle of them all. "We'll check out the guard base, and then we'll move onto Luca." He began to trace their journey on an invisible map in the air. "We'll move on from there across the mainland, visiting each town and temple on the way. Hopefully, by the time we hit the Calm Lands or Gagazet, Cid should have found the airship he's looking for," he said with a nod to Rikku. "Then we can hit Zanarkand and double back to places like Baaj, Bikanel and Besaid." He stopped and crossed his arms. "I don't like the thought of leaving Besaid so long either," he said, noting Rikku's dismayed look. "But the simple fact is, Saeleos has set that up as his base. We're not powerful enough to kick him out of there, no matter how much we want to."

Maelys looked up at him, her eyes wide. "I've got to bond Fayth in _all_ those temples?"

Rikku nodded and bent down to her level. "Well, long story short, yup," she said, keeping as happy as she could. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and the biggest smile she could on her face. "But we know that you can do it. And besides, you'll have all of us protecting you and making sure you're okay along the way! We're like your new big brothers and sister!"

The girl folded her arms indignantly. "I don't _need_ protecting."

"Course you don't," Nilus soothed. "But we're still going to protect you, just because we can." He bent down in front of her and took her hands in his, throwing a large smile on his face. "We're your Guardians now. That means we have to protect you, or we're violating our code." He looked at her, completely serious. "Do you know what happens if we violate our code?"

She bit her lip and shook her head. It was something bad, she could tell that much.

He smiled. "It means the fiends are likely to come and take you away. Like this-" he suddenly gripped her arms and threw her over his armour-less shoulder, regardless of her surprised shriek of protest. "And then you're going to become invisible!" He gasped theatrically and spun around in place, causing her to laugh from his shoulder. "Oh no! It's happened already! She's turned invisible!"

"No I haven't!" she denied, smacking his back between laughs. "Put me down!"

Rikku grinned and caught onto the game instantly. "Maelys?" She took a step forwards, scanning the room in faux-blindness. "Where abouts are you?" She pressed a hand above her eyes and pantomimed searching. "I can't see you anymore!" She gasped and pressed her hands to her mouth, knowing full well the girl could see her. "Oh no! She's turned all invisible because she wouldn't let us protect her!"

Maelys laughed once more as the world spun around her. "I'm not invisible!" she demanded vehemently, trying in vain to prove that she wasn't just a child who needed help. "Fine," she relented, kicking uselessly at the air. "I'll let you protect me."

It seemed to be the trigger for normality, "There you are!" Nilus said as he pulled her from his shoulder and held her up by her armpits. "When did you get there?" he asked, lifting one brow above the other. "Didn't we warn you about turning invisible?"

"Yeah!" Rikku chimed in, bouncing to his side. "That's not very nice you know! We thought maybe Dona had kidnapped you to raise as her personal slave!"

Maelys laughed once more and quickly brushed herself down as she was placed back on the floor. "You're both meanies," she grunted.

"Hey!" Rikku shrieked indignantly, boxing the air. "That's _my_ word! You can't just up and steal it!"

"Meanies," Maelys repeated with a grin. She shrieked a laugh as Rikku leapt after her and raced from the room, laughing all the while.

Nilus took a step after them and shook his head with a laugh. "Come on guys," he said, nodding to the two silent Ronso. "The forest fiends aren't going to wait for us to regroup."

Lian grunted as the Al Bhed left the room. Left only with his Ronso companion, he managed a deep-throated rumble. "Humes are strange," he decided.

Ayde could only nod his bewildered agreement.

* * *

The town was bustling with life and seemed infinitely more beautiful than before. Nilus winced at the repair works over the large hole near the forest's gate, though everyone in town simply seemed please that he'd destroyed only the wooden planks and not them. In fact, everyone in town seemed to have one of two reactions to them; either they were completely apologetic and praised their thanks, or they kept their heads low in utmost shame.

Regardless, both lots continued to press gifts of thanks into their hands. Rikku made a quick stock-check as was certain they had more than enough tinctures to last them through Luca, if not a considerable distance along the Mi'ihen Highroad. Though even she found her bubbly exterior popped when she saw a large poster along a broad wall and saw the small memorial candles placed delicately beneath.

At least they remembered their actions had led to the dock worker's death.

From what they could see, it seemed that he had no family that were grieving, though every person that passed by the small memorial shared equal looks of regretful horror. Rikku couldn't help but crouch before it and light a candle in memorial, unable to shake the feeling that they were at least partially responsible for his death.

When she stood up she was nearly blindsided by the woman that leapt to the floor before her feet. She noticed instantly the fiery red hair and Kilikan decorations, and spent just a moment wondering who it was before she spoke, and identified her by voice alone.

"Please, _please_ forgive me for _everything_ I did!" Kulukan begged of her, clasping her hands together in regret. "I couldn't stop myself! It was like I had to watch it all, and no matter how much I tried to stop I-" she hiccupped and sobbed at the woman's feet, unable to stop the tears flowing down her face.

"Shh, shh, shh," Rikku whispered as she bent down level to the woman. "It's not your fault," she reassured her, and smiled at the woman as she looked up at her. "You couldn't control yourself. I don't blame you for it."

Kulukan gulped and searched the woman's face. Where she was expecting to find anger and hatred, she only found sincerity and forgiveness in the Al Bhed's glowing green eyes. She hiccupped once more and bowed her head low. She didn't deserve such forgiveness, Lady Rikku would have been completely right to hate her, and yet there she was, forgiving her for it all. For the first time, the Kilikan saw past the honorific's Spira had given Lady Yuna alone. She saw in that moment that perhaps their fabled summoner had only drawn strength from her friends, and that, perhaps, they had overlooked the other saviours in favour of only the summoner.

"T-thank you," she mumbled, keeping her teary eyes low. "I don't know what I can ever do to truly show I'm sorry."

"Nothing you need to do," Nilus told her. His voice was soft and forgiving, and the woman yet again found herself unable to understand how they could so easily forgive everything that had been done against them. "We put protection back into Kilika so that everyone could carry on living normally. Do that, and that's showing us that we did our job."

She blinked up at his toothy smile. Hesitantly she pushed herself to her feet, finding herself guided by Rikku's helping hands. "Thank you," she breathed once more. "But I do feel I should do more than that. I somehow became the leader of our-" she pulled a face, "-_warped_ community. I want to do everything I can to rectify the damage I have no doubt done."

Rikku snapped her fingers. "Help Dona," she said, voice jumping in joyous thought. "She's making sure Kilika can be used as a safe haven, just in case the other places go the same way. That way, Kilika can always be filled with people with their own minds." She took her hands from the woman's arm and flashed her a winning grin. "But much as she's not gonna want to admit it; Dona can't do it alone. If you take over the management of food supplies, you can help everyone!"

Kulukan's face lit up at once. "I can do that!" she decided, a bright smile on her face. "Please, take this," she said as she reached into a pocket and produced a golden necklace with a golden star charm. "This should help you more than me," she said, pressing it into Rikku's hand and closing her fingers around it. "I know it's not much-"

"-No, no!" Rikku interrupted, shaking her head wildly. "It's brilliant, thanks!" She flashed a toothy grin and clutched the pendant in her hand. "We'll need all the help we can get against the fiends."

Kulukan bowed her head once more. "Thank you so much for helping me," she said, offering yet another bow before she turned and ran off towards Dona's hut, no doubt to offer her aid.

Rikku smiled after her. "Good to know people are getting on with their lives." She sighed and shook her head. "Maelys, come here," she said, gesturing to herself.

The girl blinked and took a step forwards. "What do you want?" She caught sight of Rikku's grin just before she draped the pendant round her neck and clipped it in place. Maelys herself tucked it under her top and instantly felt a rush of vitality run through her. "Wh-what is this?" she grunted, fingering the chain of the pendant.

Rikku grinned once more. "A star pendant," she supplied. "You see, alongside armour, there's a load of accessories we can wear that have magic imbued into them. That way, wearing them can make you stronger, healthier, or even resist stuff like silence." She bounced on the spot and pointed to Maelys' new accessory. "That one there helps ward off poison. It doesn't make you _totally_ immune; we need to channel more magic into it for that, but you're more protected against poison than the rest of us."

Nilus tapped the side of his cheek in thought. "That brings up a good point, we haven't explained about armour to you, have we yet kid?" She looked up at him a squinted, face portraying palpable confusion. "That's a no," he said with a laugh. "Come on then, there's gotta be a stall open somewhere that's selling some..." He stopped and considered something a moment before he spun round to Lian and Ayde. "I forgot to ask; you guys good for armour? We're pooling all our gil together, so don't worry about telling us when you need new."

Lian grunted his approval. "Lian and Ayde are equipped well. Should last until Luca. Then need to change for Mi'ihen."

"Hm," Nilus grunted with a nod. "Mi'ihen's home to a lot of fire-based fiends, isn't it?" he whispered, more to himself than anyone. "Guess we'll need something that deals with that." He shrugged to himself and held out his hand for Maelys. "C'mon kid, let's show you how to work armour."

She blinked but nodded and took his hand. She couldn't help but marvel at how the town had changed since everything had become normal again. People were out and about, moving on with normal lives. A few times people would come up and offer them all free food or drinks, all in thanks for saving them all. Rikku and Nilus both made sure to offer their polite declination to it all, explaining to her that if they accepted it all, they'd end up with too much to carry, though did emphasise that when she got hungry or thirsty, she was to tell one of them.

She watched as seagulls roamed the skies above and as people played in the waters around town, kicking a large blitzball around with each other. Seeing the ball, her heart raced in her chest. She couldn't believe that blitzball was still around! She tried to keep herself composed as much as she could, though Rikku quickly noticed her enthusiastic stare at the ball. She explained that when they reached Luca, they could go see a game. Maelys found it amazing that it was the whole world competing at once; in her time, it was often divided into leagues between the many sectors of Zanarkand. She explained this to them, and Rikku's eyes seemed to whirl around in her head at the thought of so many people in one place at once.

Finally they reached a stall that was shaded from the sun by a large canopy. The woman selling the trinkets was wrinkled and had grey hair, though Maelys didn't mention that she also smelt of cats.

"Have a look," Nilus told her as he picked up a small charm and squinted at it. He mumbled a few words to himself before deciding to put it back in place. "I'm not sure about fire ward," he said to them. "I mean, sure the resistance to fire's good, but the weakness to ice is kinda off-putting."

Lian gruned acknowledgement. "Ice elements roam Mi'ihen. Fire protection is gamble with ice-fiends hunting."

Rikku nodded along, though caught sight of Maelys' obvious confusion. "Some armours protect against elements," she supplied for her. "But there's a trade off. You see, if your armour helps you resist one element, you become weak against it's opposite. So if you resist water, you become weak to thunder as a trade off."

Maelys nodded. It made sense after all. She reached up and picked out a small charm, analysing it under her scrutinising glare. "This isn't armour," she decided after a moment. She'd seen armour. It was big and metallic, and had huge shields that reflected the sunlight. These were small, simple charms.

Rikku smiled once more. "They're modern armour." She picked the charm from the girl's hand and held it up to the light. "It's more for ease-of-use, really. It used to be that armour was what you're obviously thinking of; big, chunky, clunky suits of metal that stop you moving well." She smiled and shook her head. "It was kinda silly really. I mean, not everyone has the same strengths and weaknesses as others. Can you really see me running around a fiend, stealing things whilst wearing forty pounds of steel?" She laughed and shook her head. "So some genius found a way to give armour's protection with magical charms. You sew them into your clothes, or just intergrate them somehow, like even just tying them to your belt, and they offer protection."

"But there's limits on each charm's power," Nilus took over explaining. "That's why they're sorted as 'helmet', 'chest' and the like. It just means that's roughly the area of your body they can offer protection to. If you try and place a head protection on your chest, it isn't going to offer you much protection, if any."

Rikku grinned and placed the charm back. "It just means you can wear what you like into battle! I can go rushing in, built up with charms, in nothing but a bikini, and be as defended as a man in a full suit of armour! Well, providing he doesn't have any armour charms," she allowed with a small laugh.

"I thought the days of bikini modelling were behind you," Nilus quipped, earning himself a scowl and a punch on the arm from Rikku.

The woman poked her tongue at him, indignant. "You didn't seem to mind it!"

Maelys' head swam with all the new information, effectively blocking out their argument. Perhaps she wouldn't have been able to get very well in this new world on her own after all. She nodded and gripped the side of her head, afraid her brain would swell and explode if she learnt too much more.

"Come on," Rikku ushered her, taking the girl's hand in her own. "Let's go get that boat to the base, hm?

"Right," Nilus agreed, shooting the stall owner a small smile. "He should be waiting for us now, shouldn't he?"

Lian and Ayde both grunted behind him, stepping lightly over the wooden planks for creatures of their size. It was strange, the way the races of Spira were divided in strengths, Nilus reflected. The Al Bhed were second to none with their technical genius, the Guado masters of magic, and the Ronso the most physically able of them all. It was only the human's stubborn conviction towards completing goals that helped them prosper as they did.

With technical genius and tenacious resolve on Saeleos' side, Nilus had to hope the split might of magic and physical prowess was enough to resist the effects of indoctrination. If not, then they could very well be the last few people in Spira with enough free will to oppose Saeleos' reign.

And that wasn't something he truly wished to sit and think about.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ none  
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Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a  
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**So, a bit of a gamble with the explanations for armour. I always found it strange how you could equip different things on FFXII, and yet their outward appearance wouldn't change. So I came up with this solution! Because, honestly, in a fantasy world where you can summon magical creatures, and the dead become monsters, placing magical protection into charms doesn't seem that farfetched in comparison.  
**

**To be continued...**


	19. JEFF

**(Chapter 19; J.E.F.F)**

**-X-X-X-  
**

The Kilika Spiran Guard base. Built over two years ago as a stronghold for the Youth League in Kilika, and now used by remnants of all three factions that existed once in Spira.

The grand base was circular in build, and was large enough to fit a shoopuf and then some inside. The only access to it was by boat, and it was a great defensive structure, built with fending off New Yevon in mind.

"Thanks!" Rikku cheered as she leapt out of the boat, bouncing excitedly on the wooden planks leading up to the base itself. She'd only been here once before, and that was only for five minutes. All she'd managed to find was a treasure chest containing sphere break coins, which really wasn't worth the trip they took whilst they were sphere hunting.

Whilst most of the sphere hunting craze had died, people still ventured out to bring back spheres. It was here, in this base most of them were collected and stored, and only a specific few individuals were trusted enough to sort and store them. Alongside being a storage facility, it was also where most of the green recruits were trained for combat scenarios.

Lian grunted as he stepped off the boat, sniffing at the air cautiously. "Place smell strange," he decided, and folded his arms stoically. "Lian does not trust Spiran Guard."

Nilus offered him a small smile. "I don't blame you there," he agreed, shielding his eyes as he looked up to the top of the building. "With only fiends to train on, I'm surprised these people haven't started trying to take things without concern." He pulled a face and looked back down. "Of course, that's not counting the Luca slums. They're able to get away with anything there -Luca's council just doesn't seem to care."

Rikku frowned and bit her lip. It just wasn't right! People should always look out for their own, that's what the Al Bhed had always done! No matter their social standing, everyone was always looked after and treated the same in Home. It shouldn't have mattered that Luca was filled with a variety of different races – they should have all been treated with the same standards.

"Let's go," she elected, bouncing forwards a few steps. The wooden planks bounced underneath her spirited steps, and she found fun in making small splashes of water mark the boardwalk. The steps to the base rounded from the front to the side, circling round a great amount of the base, and below a number of windows, both small and large.

Maelys looked up at them. "Why are some of the windows so small?" she asked, pointing to one that was no more than a slit in the stone.

Nilus glanced at it and shook his head. "It's built for defence. With windows like that, you can fire arrows from it, but almost never have one come through and hit you." He pointed towards the larger windows. "Those ones are just in case someone gets too close to the base. They can pour something horrible like boiling oil over anyone that decides to raid the base."

Maelys glanced at it and shuddered. She gripped her elbows, suddenly fearful that they were about to receive the same treatment. She had seen that people in Kilika had been restored, and unlike anywhere else she'd seen, they seemed to love Rikku and Nilus both. But she wasn't sure about the base, and didn't want to find out the hard way.

Though the point about everyone knowing Rikku and Nilus stuck in her mind. She thought of an explanation for it, but couldn't for the life of her believe it. "Are you two," she mumbled, glancing up at them with a frown when they looked at her. "Are you two celebrities?"

Rikku had to smile at the innocence of the question. She bent down level with the girl and considered her answer a moment. She'd never thought of it as such, but the girl did have a different viewpoint on the world, after all. "Sorta," she answered vaguely. "You've heard us talking about Sin and Vegnagun, haven't you?" she asked, and waited for the nod. "Well, me and Nilus were both part of the groups that helped destroy them. People don't usually give us the credit for it, but people _do_ know we did it. Besides-" she tapped her on the nose. "You just helped to free Kilika from mind control. You're a celebrity here," she said with a wink.

Maelys felt her head spin She was a celebrity? She knew much of them from her Zanarkand; people would often read stories about them in the magazines and papers, and it was common gossip to talk about celebrity's lives as if they knew everything that was going on. Most of them couldn't walk out of their houses without being ambushed by the media, though almost all of them were incredibly rich.

Her eyes widened at the thought. While she still didn't truly understand the concept of having money, she knew being rich was something people aspired to be. Did that mean that now she was rich? She didn't honestly know, and placed the thought aside. Rikku and Nilus would tell her if she was, unless it was another of those things she wouldn't understand until she was older.

They reached the large wooden doors to the base, and found that they were shut. They looked between each other and considered their options a moment before the two Ronso pushed the doors open.

They opened them halfway before a voice shouted out, "Stop!"

A man raced towards them from inside, panting softly. He had tanned skin and a large build to him that he seemed to still be growing into. A yellow leather breastplate and pauldrons protected his body, covering the long, dark blue cloth he wore underneath. He wore leather leg guards other cloth that was wrapped around his legs and feet both, and wore a pair of sandals. Yellow leather gloves stretched down his arms to his elbows, and large thigh guards rose up his body and stuck out a distance from his feet. His helmet was also leather, though was purple and fell down at the sides and back, exposing only his face.

He looked at them all, though recognition flared in his dark brown eyes. "Lady Rikku?" he stumbled, shocked still. He looked over and whispered, disbelieving, "Sir Nilus?"

They squinted at him a moment. He'd gotten taller and broader, and the black goatee made him seem older than what he was, but he was definitely familiar.

"Yaibal?" Rikku guessed.

"You remember me!" he celebrated, and saluted them all. "But that's Commander Yaibal now!" he gloated.

Nilus leant down to Rikku's head. "They made _him_ Commander?" he whispered into her ear.

She laughed quietly and pushed him away, but the Commander didn't seem to notice. "I have been placed in charge of this Spiran Guard base, and am to oversee the protection and maintenance of the troops and the facility." He stopped a moment and all professionalism faded from his stance. "Is Kilika alright?" he asked, voice low and worried. "We had a few men come here showing symptoms of something we couldn't discern. It eventually spread throughout a great number of our troops, so we were forced to lock them in the secure chambers of the base. Then we heard the _hymn_, the _hymn of the Fayth_ coming from the temple! And then suddenly, everyone was cured!"

The summoner party shared a grin between themselves. So this place was cured too? It lifted their spirits to think about it.

"Kilika's been cured," Nilus told him. "It was suffering the same sort of infection, though everyone's been returned to normal again." He looked away and took a breath. "Tell me; what do you know about the state of affairs in Besaid?"

Yaibal pulled a face as he paled considerably. "There's... there's been talk over the sphere network. They're saying that Lady Lulu was murdered, and that-" he grimaced and looked them in the eyes. "And that you're the ones who killed her."

"But we didn't!" Rikku exploded, throwing her arms up into the air. "It wasn't us! It was this big creep named Sae-mmph!"

"Rikku!" Nilus hissed as he placed a hand over her mouth, silencing her. "Tuh'd najaym ajanodrehk yd uhla. Ev drao syhykat du kad uid ehvunsydeuh, ed'c buccepma Saeleos lyh veht uid fryd'c kuehk uh amcafrana." He looked her in the eyes, nodded and withdrew his hand. "Ev ra vehtc uid fa'na cbnaytehk funt ykyehcd res duu cuuh, ed luimt clyna res ehdu gemmehk ajanouha dryd ghufc." _(Don't reveal everything at once. If they managed to get out information, it's possible Saeleos can find out what's going on elsewhere. If he finds out we're spreading word against him too soon, it could scare him into killing everyone that knows.)_

She looked at him, eyes wide and then bit her lip. She hadn't honestly considered such a thing. Sure Saeleos was controlling people... but what if people started trying to work for him? If happened before – people bowed down to Mika, Seymour, almost everyone in a position of power. Even Pops! If people saw someone with power, and knew they could survive by playing alongside them, they would do it.

"What do you believe?" Nilus asked the man, keeping his voice as sincere and calm as he could. "We didn't kill her, and we know it. But if everyone believes it, our job's going to be a lot harder."

Yaibal looked between them, dropped his head and then took a breath. "I don't honestly know what to believe," he admitted. "Everything we've heard so far is only rumour. Lady Yuna hasn't said anything about it, but apparently she's giving a sphere broadcast soon."

Rikku pulled a face. "Yeah, we've heard about that. But we didn't do it!" she exclaimed, trying to prove her point. "Lulu was like our big sister! We made the pilgrimage so that families like hers wouldn't have to suffer the death of parents or anyone! Why would we do that and then kill her afterwards?"

Yaibal frowned and considered it. "True. I can't honestly believe that you or any of Lady Yuna's allies would kill any of your friends, let alone another Guardian. But if you didn't, who did?"

Lian breathed heavily down his nose at the man. "Many things occur where humes do not see. Should not take word alone as proof. Actions prove guilt. Words do not."

Nilus found the presence of Lian a great reassurance. He seemed to make up entirely for Ayde's lack of speaking, and like all Ronso, everything he said had profound wisdom in it. He nodded with his words, and then turned back to face Yaibal. "There's a lot going on behind the scenes here. We can't reveal it all because... we because we don't know who we can trust anymore." He looked at Rikku, shared an unspoken conversation and then turned back to face Yaibal. "Yuna can't be trusted anymore."

The man reacted predictably. He leapt back as if they were diseased and his mouth dropped open in alarm. "What?" he exclaimed. "Preposterous! Lady Yuna is our saviour! She saved us from certain death twice!"

"Which is why this is so hard to take," Rikku whispered, acknowledging it all. It still hurt to think of her cousin doing such things, but she had to keep telling herself that she wasn't in control of her actions. "She's my cousin Yaibal. As much as Spira loves her... I love her all that more. You may not know this, but family is important to Al Bhed. We would do anything to protect our family, and we would go to any lengths to prove their innocence. But she's not herself," she said morosely, shaking her head. "Yunie... she's not in control of her actions. I don't care if you don't believe that we didn't kill Lulu. I don't care if you don't trust us. But I need you to know: Yunie can't be trusted!"

He saw the truth in her eyes. He could see it in the way she looked so pained at having to reveal such details to him, and how much admitting it hurt her. He swallowed and nodded, taking a step back towards them. "Very well. I'm not sure if many people will believe me, but I'll try to spread the word within my ranks as best I can."

Rikku sniffed and wiped her nose. "Thanks."

He nodded and looked at them all. "What you're doing," he whispered, pressing a fist under his chin. "Is it in anyway tied to what happened at the temple?"

"Somewhat," Nilus allowed as he folded his arms. "We'd tell you more... but we're not completely sure who we can trust."

The man's eyes lit up with burning resolve. "You can trust me!" he declared. "I shall arrange somewhere private in which we can sit and discuss these matters, as well as what you wish for me to say regarding the state of Lady Yuna. In the mean time; please, feel free to explore the base." He coughed and turned around, calling attention to one of the passing guards. "Ensure that the party of Lady Rikku and Sir Nilus are allowed to explore the entire contents of our base. They are our allies, and we do not need to hide anything from them!"

Maelys squinted at the man. She had no idea who he was, and didn't hold much of an opinion towards him. He was nothing more than a stranger to her. And like she had been told when she was growing up, there were always strangers who would try and bribe you into doing things their way. He was letting them explore the facilities of the base, which meant he was trying to get on their good side. "Why are you trying to impress us?" she probed, huffing at him.

Yaibal balked and stared at the young girl. He had no idea who she was, and had merely assumed she was a friend of Lady Rikku's, or even that they were looking after her. Though cogs begun to turn in his mind, and he begun to wonder if she was part of their group performing actions in the temples. It wasn't unheard of for children to be Guardians four years prior, after all.

"I am merely ensuring my troops can help you and your party as best we can," he answered diplomatically. "If Lady Yuna is truly not to be trusted, then you and I both shall need allies." He looked from her to the two adults and saluted them both. "When you feel ready, head to my office on the third floor of the building. I shall be waiting for you there." He departed in a hurry quickly after, leaving the five of them still in the doorway.

"I don't trust it," Nilus whispered contemplatively. "It seems a bit too good to be true." He sighed and dropped his head. "I don't want to think it, but-"

"-Anyone could be working against us?" Rikku finished for him. She grunted at his nod and played coyly with a braid. "I don't think any of us want to admit it, but it's something we have to consider. He might just be like Dona, and willing to help in any way he can."

"Maybe," Nilus allowed. "But I've been thinking about it all on the boat here. I mean, Saeleos is taking control of people, and he somehow lucked out in getting Yuna as one of his first victims." He paced back and forth with small steps, staring out to sea instead of at them. "He told us that he has access to everyone's memories that he controls. That means he knows everything they know about Spira. So, he knows about the Spiran Guard. And what better way to take over Spira then by taking control of the world's trained guards?"

Rikku grimaced at the thought. She heard Ayde rumble a small noise behind her, and assumed he agreed entirely with what Nilus had just said. She knew it made sense, though didn't want to think about it. She had to hope that there was some good left in the world, and that people wouldn't sell out Spira for their own life. "We'll just have to consider that when – _if_ – it happens. Until then, we may as well see what this base has to offer." She grinned, turned and skipped into the building, only to stop and utter, "Wow," as her head craned up.

The building was a marvel. The main interior had a set of stairs that led up to a second level, and from there they could see the stairs that lead to the top floor. The main room was grand and spacious, and they could see a great number of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Columns of marble held the floors above up, and the walls of the room were a brilliant crimson colour, adorned with gold rope decorations and paintings made by the finest artists in Spira.

"Wow is right," Nilus whispered, head moving to evaluate the entire room. He whistled and pulled a face. "Imagine all the gil they spent on this."

Rikku spun around and beamed. "I know, right? It's _brilliant!_" She twirled around and threw her hands out to the side. "Reckon there's a few goodies we can swipe while we're here?"

She skipped away before she even got a reply. The whole thing was majestic! It was something fit for royalty! Every room had the same red walls, marble columns and gold rope decorating them, as well as high ceilings that she was sure could have fit an entire demonolith in! And then maybe another on top!

She giggled as she skipped through them, squealing with delight as she found treasure chests hidden away in corners of every room. She didn't know why they left such things out in plain view, but wasn't about to question why. She made sure to check the coast was clear before checking the chests for traps and plundering their contents for all the goods they held inside. While she came away with nothing more than a few potions and the like most of the time, she did manage to swipe a strange set of rings that were _far_ too large for her own fingers.

She ended up examining them in the light before Lian grunted and told her Ayde could use them to boost his abilities, rather like a weapon. She wasn't about to argue – she'd seen Lulu command dolls in battle, and Wakka snap fiends in two with a blitzball! She handed them over with a wide grin and laughed as the Ronso's eyes shone in delight once he placed the rings on.

Finally they reached the top floor and she pulled a face. "Aw," she whined. "No more?"

"I'd be surprised if they've got any supplies for themselves now," Nilus quipped. Although, he wasn't about to give them back. He shared the same mentality as Rikku; if they were leaving them lying around in treasure chests, they were obviously surplus supplies for their troops. Yaibal did say they were allowed to explore the contents of their base – he never said they weren't allowed to take things.

Regardless, it was Spira's common rule; when it came to treasure chests, it was a case of first come, first served.

Lian gave an impatient grunt. "Proceed through doors. Talk to hume commander. Leave Kilika afterwards."

Maelys was the first to look up at him and offer her words. "Do you not like it in here?" she queried.

He shook his head. "Lian does not like places where ambush likely. We walk into lair of potential enemy, always giving them a chance to attack." He stopped, sniffed at the air and then glanced back down to the girl. "Maelys stay between Lian and Ayde. Guardians protect. Maelys safe."

The girl went to argue, though was cut off by a small laugh from Rikku. "I don't think you're going to persuade them otherwise. It's best to let them protect you anyway; what's going to come after you when you've got two big, scary Ronso at your flank?"

"Careful," Nilus warned, "that's nearing the infamy of 'what's the worst that could happen'?"

Rikku offered a grin as she looked past him and at the large purple doors barring entry to Yaibal's office. They were tinged with gold hinges, and had dark green ivy crawling over them – though curiously, the plant seemed to originate and end from the doors themselves.

"Well, it's true," she said with conviction as she approached the doors and placed her hands on the handles. "It's only going to be a moron or a super-humanly powerful fiend that attempts it, and given our track record, I'd say they're doomed the moment they even think about attacking."

With that she flung the doors open, basking them all in the musty smell of Yaibal's office. It was decorated in a minimalistic style, which Rikku immediately thought was a huge waste. If it were up to her, the whole office would be covered from corner to corner in fabulous decorations, photos and who knew what else. Instead, all it seemed Yaibal had were a desk, a few hastily arranged chairs, and a large set of crimson drapes framing the windows.

The owner of the office looked up and offered them all a smile. "I daresay that they are only truly doomed if only because they underestimate your abilities. Or they seem to think that a thief who knows little of keeping her voice low is like to be an incompetent fighter."

The woman flushed bright red. She was a good thief! One of the best, in fact! But that didn't ever mean that she had to be sneaky and stealthy all the time. If anything, the whole quiet demeanour suited Paine better, she decided. Though she considered Paine's love for high heeled shoes, and remembered the sound they always made; clapping along the dark, dank corridors they so often found themselves in.

Nilus shrugged at the man. "Fiends never seem to care about the noise. When they can hear your footsteps, or even your heartbeat, talking quietly isn't going to help you remain undetected."

"Touché," Yaibal laughed. "Anyway, I wanted to speak to you in here, if only for a matter of some offered privacy, and to offer you a reason to trust me better than you do now."

Lian crossed his arms and snorted. "Gifts for trust are always given by those you cannot."

Yaibal faltered, staring at the young Ronso with his mouth slightly agape. It took until Maelys looked up at him and told him exactly what the Ronso really meant, "If you're trying to buy our trust, that just means we shouldn't trust you."

It was true, Nilus and Rikku reflected, and they both turned to look at Yaibal. The man gulped and rubbed at the back of his neck, his old, nervous self coming back full-force.

"Y-yes, w-well," he stumbled over his words, and forced a deep breath through his body, collecting himself as best as possible. "I offer you this in only the hopes that we can reach a mutual agreement; it is obvious you do not want to extend a lot of trust towards us, for fear that we will betray you, if only by falling victim to the influence that was just plaguing this town." He stood up, placed his hands behind his back and paced behind his desk. "Perhaps I was wrong in addressing it as a token of trust; it is, I hope, more so a venture that could benefit both our respective parties."

Nilus folded his own arms and lifted a brow. "Go on," he prodded.

"Very well," Yaibal said with a nod. "You see, we realised that while we may have built a defensive group for all of Spira, we had little to train our men on. It was suggested a while ago that we use the old Crusader training grounds in the Calm Lands as a measure to train our troops, but it has become apparent that in the time since the disbanding of the Crusaders, the training grounds have become a... chocobo farm."

Rikku bounced on her feet, letting out an excited squeal. "Oh! That's Clasko's place! We helped him clear it out from all the fiends, seeing as no one else was using it, and there were still a few running around." She stopped bouncing and fixed a glare on Yaibal. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with Clasko using the grounds to breed chocobos! As far as I remember, not only is it no longer Crusader property, but the trained chocobos were almost all wiped out in Operation Mi'ihen. _You_ need him there to breed and train more, if you want to start using them again, as opposed to machina. Machina might be a brilliant thing, but they're still prone to going wrong a lot. At least a chocobo only needs convincing with a few gyshal greens, rather than a full system reboot."

Yaibal stared at her, blushed and then cleared his throat. "Right. Well as I was _about_ to say; we decided to leave him be and even began funding him, for the reasons you just provided."

"Oh," Rikku whispered, and turned a shade brighter herself.

"After that, we sought another way to train our troops, and realised we could adapt the method used in the Calm Lands in more localised regions," Yaibal explained confidently. With a small smile he walked towards a large set of black doors in the corner of his office and stopped before them, staring up dramatically at the doorframe. "We realised that if we launched a joint effort, with the funding and manpower of the Spiran Guard, as well as the mechanical genius of the Al Bhed, we could produce something that would serve to benefit us all."

Nilus looked at him, sighed and then pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why don't I like this already?"

The Commander ignored him in favour of placing both his hands on the doors. "And so, we produced this," he declared, and pushed the doors open wide.

One by one the Summoner and her Guardians stepped through the doors, and found themselves in a clear Perspex box suspended high above a large, grey steel dome. The floor was a considerable distance beneath them, and the whole room was full of empty space, save for a strange drain on the floor, and an intricate system of pipes on the ceiling.

In the box with them was a large control panel, filled with many strange buttons, levers and dials. It beeped every so often, lighting up various different buttons in shades of reds, greens and yellows.

Yaibal stepped forwards with a proud smile and placed a hand on the console. "This is the Joint Effort Fiend Fabricator," he explained. "Or J.E.F.F for short."

"JEFF," Rikku wondered aloud, cocking her head to the side.

The machine beeped once more, and there was a flash of light as a strange, almost human looking face appeared from the console, coloured in various shades of red.

"Greetings user. I am JEFF," it said in animatronic monotone.

Rikku shrieked and leapt backwards as her male companions leapt back, drawing their weapons in defensive fright.

Out of them all, only Maelys didn't seem shocked by the talking machina before them. In fact, she looked a little interested, though in a happy way, rather than her friend's frightened interest in the machine.

"It talks?" Nilus barked, weapon trained on the console, not trusting it yet.

"It's probably the most advanced piece of technology in Spira," Yaibal said, full of pride. "And JEFF is exclusive to Kilika at the moment – we conducted the trial experimentation with the machina recovered only a few months ago."

After the shock had worn off, Rikku leapt at the machine with child-like enthusiasm. Machina swam in her blood, and she always felt so intrigued and delighted when something new happened with them, or when she learnt something about them, no matter how small.

"It's amazing," she whispered, tracing her fingers over the outline of the face. She flinched as it flickered under her touch, and her mouth dropped open in amazement as her finger passed straight through it. "It's like a sphere projection. But... without a sphere."

"Correct user," JEFF said, causing the woman to jump in shock once more. "My technology is built upon visual spherewave technology that has been lost to this world for nearly a millennia."

"Wow," Rikku whispered, eyes shining with delight. "Who found this technology?" she asked, her gaze trained only on the machina before her.

"One of Gippal's men," Yaibal answered instantly. "However, it was Gippal and his team of specialists themselves that managed to restore it to its former glory."

Rikku made a small noise, half between a grunt and a squeal. While it was exciting to see such technology before her, it would just have to be _Gippal_ of all people that managed to recover it, wouldn't it? As far as she was concerned, his ego was big enough already, without adding to it the thought of recovering some sort of revolutionary technology.

Maelys strode forwards with confidence, heedless of her Ronso guards' attempts to keep her back. "Something's wrong with it," she deduced, a small frown set on her features. "It sounds all... roboty. They're meant to speak like normal people. It must be a really old one if it still talks like this."

Yaibal made a strangled noise as he scratched a cheek. "Well, we're still recovering pieces of its technology, so it's perfectly possible we haven't yet found the required equipment to make it speak with emotional tones." He seemed content with his explanation until the full force of Maelys' words hit him, and he stared at the girl, mouth open wide. "How do you know what they're meant to sound like anyway?"

The Guardians shared a collective moment of uncertainty before Nilus decided to leap in with an answer. "She's a psychic mage," he improvised. "We don't understand much of it, but sometimes when she sees certain things, she seems to be able to read the memories of spirits in the Farplane, and they tell her how something's meant to be."

"Really?" Yaibal whispered, intrigued and believing.

"No," Maelys grunted. "I'm from Zana-mph!" she grunted as Rikku wrapped her hand around the girl's mouth, offering a small smile to the Commander.

"You know what kids and their imaginations are like," the woman explained with an uncertain, wavering tone. "She likes telling people things that will freak them out."

Yaibal nodded, even if he didn't believe them. "Ah. I see. Well anyway, the reasons I gathered you in here should be explained. And I think they best person for that is Jeff."

"Thank you, User Identity Commander Yaibal," the holographic face said. It spun on its axis in free space, floating to face everyone else. "I am designed as a state-of-the-art fiend generator. My software allows me to capture and contain the pyreflies that compose fiends, and allow me to generate multiple copies of the fiends for any user to fight. I can also merge and splice the pyreflies, allowing you to fight new, unique fiends."

"Wow," Nilus said, whistling low. "It's just like the monster arena. Granted, without the crazy old guy running it, and hopefully without the smells of blood and gore."

"Correct User," JEFF said. "I am built as an upgraded model to the old system devised by the monster arena. I am able to generate any fiend you would like, with only a verbal command. Thusly, I can be used even when the current user is in the battle-dome below."

"But there's a small problem," Yaibal said, cutting over the machina.

Nilus snorted to himself. "Isn't there always?" he whispered.

"We have no data of fiends outside of the Kilika area," Yaibal informed them, unhearing or ignoring Nilus. "Our troops are spread thinly, and we're unsure as to when our capture specialists will be able to return, or even if they're free from the influence that is plaguing Spirans. Which is part of what I offer you as a deal; if you are able to capture monsters for us whilst you travel around Spira, we shall gladly reward you, as well as let you use JEFF as often as you like, though-"

"Let me guess," Rikku interrupted, and rolled her eyes with a small smile. "For a discounted price?"

Yaibal balked and stared at her. "I was actually going to say when it is not in use by our troops, though I concede that is a fair deal." He looked back at the floating hologram of JEFF's head, and then to everyone once more. "So do we have a deal?"

Nilus lifted a brow at him. "How are we meant to be capturing these fiends then?"

Yaibal caught himself, flustered. "Ah, yes, right. I forgot. Well, it's the same technology basically, as that in the monster arena, so you'll need to use specialist weapons once more to deal the final blow. Though these weapons are significantly better than those before, and will increase in their performance and abilities as your User Level with JEFF rises."

Nilus nodded. "Throw in a free weapon for each of us, and you've got a deal."

Yaibal pulled a face, looked at JEFF, and then back to everyone again. "Fine," he relented with a sigh. "I shall arrange for the weapons to be delivered to you before you leave." He nodded once more and placed a fist under his chin. "Though I should explain a few things to you. Ideally, we need ten of each fiend, and obviously, some cannot be captured. However, the weapons are limited – they can only hold a maximum of fifteen captured monsters each."

Rikku blinked. "So what do we do when they're full up?"

Yaibal smiled. "You sell them. You see, we have Spiran Guard bases or locations everywhere in Spira. Each shop is decorated uniformly; they are decorated with red and gold cloth, and the salesman you need to speak to is always dressed completely in blue. It is he or she you shall collect your reward from, and we shall also pay you handsomely for your weapon – dependent on the quality of fiends captured within – as well as give you a replacement model of the same calibre as the one you turned in."

"Sounds like a sweet deal," Nilus said. "So where's the catch?"

The Commander offered him a smile. "The catch is that you can only battle them here, as well as the fact that certain fiends are beginning to become a lot smarter, and seem to be developing motives and methods for attack. Some may only attack at night, others may only appear when certain creatures have been killed, and some may only appear if they can only see female travellers."

Rikku shuddered and made a noise. "Urgh. That's not creepy at all."

"Since when were fiends gentlemen?" Yaibal countered. "You will also be unable to battle certain fiends, generated or not, whether you caught them or not, until your User Level is high enough."

"And what's this 'User Level' we keep hearing about then?" Nilus queried.

"Let me show you," Yaibal said, and moved out of the way of the console. "Now, I shall assume that you're going to be using this collectively, as a group? Then only one of you need register."

"Ooh! Oh! Let me!" Rikku exclaimed, bouncing on the spot as she waved her hand in the air. Before Yaibal had even nodded agreement she bounded forth and stopped before the console, her hands a blur as she typed in and followed the commands she was given. "Username-one?" she said to herself. "I don't think so somehow!" she declared, and began to input another load of data.

As she worked, Nilus slyly leant to the side and nudged Yaibal. "I hoped you've got a back-up copy," he stage-whispered, resulting in Rikku turning around in the middle of her typing frenzy and poking her tongue at him.

"Done!" she declared, and bounced away from the console.

JEFF whirred for a moment, before an audible click was heard, and the holographic face seemed to go rigid. "Greetings User: Rikku-underscore—is-underscore-the-underscore-greatest."

"No!" Rikku wailed, even as Nilus and Maelys both shared a laugh. "You're not meant to say it like that!" she ranted at the machine. "The underscore's are meant to make it look cool!"

Yaibal cleared his throat. "I'm afraid it's stuck like that now. JEFF's still new-old technology, so we haven't been able to understand how to change user names."

Rikku groaned and began to grumble words under her breath. The only ones people caught were 'JEFF', 'machina' and a few choice Al Bhed curses that only Nilus could understand.

"Right, well if you just follow the directions downstairs and enter through the marked doors, we'll be able to start this up," Yaibal said, and flinched under the intensity of the stares he was receiving. "What?"

"You made us come up here," Maelys grunted. "Now you want us to go all the way back downstairs again. Can't we just do it from here, somehow?"

Lian and Ayde both grunted their agreement. It did seem rude and rather long-winded that they had to go back all that distance once more, just to reach the bottom of the room they were currently in.

Yaibal pulled a face. "All right," he said. "But I don't like using this method – we've done it a few times before, and something's usually gone wrong with JEFF."

That was nothing to deter them. "Come on, come on!" Rikku declared. She felt personally insulted by the machine, ruining her master plan for a user identity like that, and she felt that she needed revenge on the contraption.

Yaibal sighed and entered a few commands onto the screen, which caused the very box they were in to jerk and jump. Then, with a mechanical whir it began to descend towards the ground, taking them ever closer to the floor.

"Alright!" Rikku cheered as they touched down, and a large section of the clear walls opened up for them to exit it. "Now come one!" she provoked Yaibal, drawing her weapons and standing ready. "Where's these fiends we get to abuse?"

"Hold on a moment," Yaibal's voice sounded out over the intercom system as the box ascended back into place. "Firstly, the User Levels. You see, it's all based on the user's skill level, as well as the fiends they've defeated with the programme previously. In short, you need to defeat large quantities of fiends in order to show JEFF that you're capable of handling yourself against the stronger fiends. And of course, we'll give you a few rewards when you manage to increase your User Level."

It did seem like a good deal, they all agreed silently. They could train here against fiends, in the protected Kilika, and even get rewarded for doing so. While it may have been a distraction from the greater scheme of things, they also couldn't afford to get sidetracked. They still had to defeat Saeleos eventually, and it was highly unlikely that he would be idle whilst they were training themselves.

Nilus turned around to everyone, shared a nod with each of them then glanced up at the Commander. "Alright Yaibal. We're ready for whatever you've got to throw at us."

Above them, Yaibal coughed over the speakers. "You need to address JEFF yourself. He works on voice recognition software, so if I activate the programme, it will load up my details, not yours."

The Al Bhed couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Of course," he whispered, then looked to Rikku and gestured towards the Perspex box above them. She grinned and nodded eagerly, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yo! Machina! Get your butt in gear and activate the programme!" she yelled, winking impishly.

"User voice code acknowledged," JEFF blared in loud monotone. "Loading programme at User Level one... caution; critical error recorded. Attempting to retrieve system coding. Attempt failed. Loading last save file..."

All around them there was the haunting sound of pyreflies charging through the pipes above. Lights flared from the JEFF's machina console, and Yaibal seemed to be frantically pressing every command button he could in attempt to stop the fiend from forming.

"What's going on?" Rikku shrieked at him.

"Taking the quick way down messed with the systems!" Yaibal yelled over the intercom. "JEFF's loading up the last training file someone used... damn!" He hissed, and they heard him punch something metallic. "The last people to use this were a training squad of twenty people! They're working at a much higher level than you, and there were more of them to take down this threat!"

"Loading..." JEFF boomed with omnipresent effects. "Accessing last save file... loading file... successful. Load complete. Creating file number six-seven-nine-oh-slash-one; Baron Ochu."

Pyreflies stormed into the room, heedless to the cries of alarm from the people within. They sung and wailed, forming the looming shape of a terrible, giant creature before them all. Two long, thick, green vine-like arms began to wave in the air, each with a set of three claws on the end. The main body of the ochu itself was supported with two stumpy legs, each the size of tree trunks, and a colossal, salivating pit-trap of a mouth opened up at the top of its main body. A number of stalks came up from behind the ochu's mouth, creating various different colours of flowers, all of which moved of their own accord, circling around the room, searching for its prey.

When it set its gaze on the summoning party, it took in a great breath and let it out with a mighty scream that rattled the very walls of the building. A horrible stench filtered through the air, and it took considerable effort for all of them – Ronso especially – not to crumple under the stink.

Looking at the creature, Nilus couldn't help but feel a sense of dread and weariness. "I knew this wasn't going to end well..."

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ none  
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Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a  
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**To be continued...**


	20. Kylar

**(Chapter 20; Kylar)**

**-X-X-X-**

It smelt like eggs.

That was the first thing Maelys noticed about the ochu, before the sight of the long-limbed, carnivorous beast flailed in front of her vision.

Part of her wanted to scream.

But part of her wanted to keep it. It was just so _cool_!

... in a completely scary way, of course.

She grunted and pressed a hand to her nose, refusing to let anyone else know just how childish she felt towards the creature. She was around adults now, and they counted on her for help. She wanted her revenge, and wanted to plunge her blade straight between Saeleos' eyes.

She needed to be more mature.

And mature girls didn't want to keep overgrown venus fly traps as pets.

"How do we kill it?" she whispered, gripping her moogle tightly in her hands. She scrunched the toy's head within one of her hands, finding the hilt of her sword and tightened her fingers around it.

"Fire," Nilus grunted, his eyes darting everywhere over the creature. "Lots of fire. Stay away from water attacks, and keep away from its claws and its mouth. Most importantly though-"

The ochu screamed.

And all hell broke loose.

Nilus cursed as a vine slashed out at him, nearly taking his head off. He jumped backwards and gripped his bow, only for another vine to smack it clean out of his grip. Fire blossomed from his hands in retaliation, flames snaking their way up his arms as balls of fire soared at the screeching creature.

Lian and Ayde roared as one. The two Ronso charged the creature, Lian slashing in wide arcs with his spear, slicing vines as quickly as they hurtled towards him. Ayde darted in between each attack with instinctive ease, four legs carrying him toward the creature faster than anyone else. He leapt into the air with a mighty roar and came down on the creature's stalks as a flurry of teeth and claws. The creature shrieked in protest as green bits of body and blood flew all over the room.

Rikku grunted as a vine managed to slice her across her leg, opening up a wound to the world. Her knives spun in her hands, her actions a blur as she fended off countless vines that tried to strike at her. Above she heard Ayde roar as the creature bucked and knocked him off, sending the Ronso crashing down into Lian. As soon as he was clear, she smacked the bottom of her pouch with the pommel of a knife, knocking free a small fire gem. It spun in the air catching light as she twirled around beneath it. As soon as it was level with her, she leapt up and kicked it into the beast's mouth, where it exploded with a fierce burst of flames.

If anything, it just seemed to make the fiend angrier. It hissed something unintelligible and began a strange dance that shook the whole room around them. Pollen bloomed forth out of its mouth, showering them all in a stink that made rotting eggs seem as fragrant as roses.

Maelys coughed and tried to clear her vision from the horrible yellow haze surrounding them all. She vaguely caught sight of the little seeds in the air before they suddenly erupted in a mess of vines, latching on to whatever was nearest.

She heard Rikku shriek as some bloomed over her, and the smell of burning plants as Nilus was setting aflame to those covering him. Lian and Ayde went for the approach of ripping each vine free from their bonds, sometimes even snapping them free with their teeth.

Purple light flared around Maelys as the vines tried to latch onto her. The light flared into a translucent shield, knocking away the unwanted leeches with minimal effort. She hissed and formed her familiar magic in her hands, shooting pinpoint beams of psychic energy at the fiend.

...except nothing happened.

The energy simply washed off the fiend as if she were spraying it with water, and Maelys caught the large lump of fear that built up in her gut.

"It's a plant!" Nilus shouted at her just as he fell into a clumsy roll around the fiend's hellish claws. "It has no brain!"

The vines wrapped around his ankles and flipped him into the air with beastly force. He smacked down on the concrete floor hard a moment later, and groaned as he tried to lift his face off the ground.

"So to speak," he hissed.

Rikku groaned as she helped lift Lian up, smoothing a potion over the large cut across his face. "We need an aeon!" she shouted, biting back a scream as Ayde knocked aside a slash aimed for them both. "This thing's too strong for us to fight!"

"Summon!" Nilus barked as he jumped back to his feet, jumping in front of the girl with his arms well and truly ablaze. "I'll protect you!"

She nodded, swallowing the small ball of fear in her throat. She held her breath a moment, trying to capture what she needed to do. She needed to summon. She needed that aeon from the strange lady. She needed help. She needed that aeon's help. She needed it now!

Why wasn't it working?

"I-I don't know how!" she admitted, voice tense with fear. "I can't summon it!"

"Yes you can!" Nilus growled as he spun round, gripping her shoulders and meeting her eyes. "Focus," he urged. "It's like magic. Focus in on yourself. Look for the feeling of that energy again." He yelped as a vine slashed across his back, though he kept his face straight even as he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. "Find that energy, and pull it out. Make sure it knows you're in charge!"

He nodded and got back to his feet unsteadily, his flames continually sparking in and out of life. Maelys could see the horrible gash running down most of his back, and the sickly green tinge that surrounded his skin. Yet he still kept on his feet, his breath laboured as he burned more and more of the fiend.

She needed to summon now!

She took a breath and focused, trying to block everything else out. She could feel her heart rate soaring in her chest, continually _thud, thud, thud_'ing against her ribcage. She used that to anchor herself, following along to find the energy she felt before.

There!

It was like a brilliant white light in the middle of pitch black darkness, and it bulged and throbbed to itself, humming a strange tune that Maelys recognised from the temple.

She felt herself touch it, trying to draw it to her command. The energy drew back from her, shrinking away and declaring itself better than her.

_No._ Maelys felt herself deny the energy its resistance. _I'm in charge. You're mine to control. You gave your power to help me, and now I need it!_

She gasped as power flooded through her veins, filling her body with unimaginable energy. Her eyes light up with brilliant white light, and she felt her body move of its own accord, summoning energies to bring the creature into existence. Her arms stretched out around herself and she twirled, the room itself fading away in the concentration of summoning.

She took a breath and blew it out over her hand, spinning full circle with slow, deliberate ease. Her fingers stretched out before her, as if feeling a harp within them, and guided by instinct alone, she drew her fingers across the invisible strings.

And sound blossomed out around her.

The air around her _shattered_, and yet the song continued. The pyreflies swirled in time with the tune, dancing their mystical dance in a strange vortex. Within, she could see something starting to form. Arms, legs, a chest, and finally a face and eyes.

Finally the air itself broke around the aeon with force, revealing the blonde haired ethereal beauty. She stretched her hand out towards Maelys, and belatedly, the girl realised that somehow, she was actually holding a harp! She held it out towards the creature tentatively, and with a soft appreciative nod, the aeon took it from her.

Siren's wings burst from her back, and Maelys felt a voice touch her mind. _Your commands?_

Maelys glanced around the field, finding her friends sagging on their feet, weary and exhausted. Nilus' horrible green wound was still there, and Maelys noticed that Rikku too had one on her leg, and Lian across his head.

"Heal them!" she demanded of the creature.

The aeon nodded serenely and floated towards them all. With gentle calm she strung a tune on her harp, and Maelys saw waves of white mana wash over her friends, knitting flesh back together again, returning skin to its rightful colour.

"Duck!" Maelys screamed as she saw the ochu advance. Siren crouched down low as a vine-like tentacle pierced the air above her, and with a sadistic expression, she grabbed the limb and _snapped_ it free from the creature. "Burn it!" she screamed.

Siren nodded again, her arms filling with flames. Fire danced around her, snaking its way towards the ochu across the floor itself. The ochu screamed as fire burned all around it, its dry, leafy body bursting into fire easily.

"Nice going," Nilus said as he scuttled in front of the girl, collecting his bow from the floor. "Knew you could do it." He smiled once more at her, though quickly stuck his hand in front of her when she tried to rush the monster with her blade. "Stay back," he commanded. "Manage your aeon from a distance."

"But!" Maelys protested, flinging an arm towards the others. Lian leapt into the air and stabbed the fiend through its mouth with his spear, weapon going completely through the creature and pinning it to the floor. She caught sight of Rikku slicing away at the fiend's legs – a sight itself, considering they were at least as tall as her, and possibly twice as wide.

Ayde was a blur of motion as he ripped into the creature, and with wide eyes she saw Siren pick him up and throw him towards the fiend, where he used the momentum behind his flight to turn into a Ronso bullet, and ripped a hole clean through the being's body.

"They're fighting!" she protested.

"So are we," Nilus argued even as he fired an arrow at the fiend. "Trust me on this; keep to a distance when you've got your aeon fighting. Besides-" he winked. "Fighting from a distance isn't so bad."

The girl grunted and placed her hands on her hips. "How do you know so much about aeons anyway?"

He shook his head. "Later. When it's safe."

She nodded and turned back to the fight. "Kill it!" she screamed at her commanded creature.

Siren made a small bow before she leapt at the ochu, swinging her harp like a sword. They heard the baron ochu wail in protest, and with a forceful kick the aeon swept the fiend's legs out from underneath it. She placed her harp on the floor and lifted her hands above her head, fire dancing in her palms. With a ethereal battle cry she thrust her hands forwards, fire spilling out and burning the ochu to nothing more than a crisp. It wailed and thrashed under the heat, skin becoming filled with horrible yellow heat blisters before the whole fiend itself caught fire, then burst into pyreflies.

Below them, the loud sounds of machina whirring boomed into life, and at once all the pyreflies were sucked in and collected, with a small mechanical 'beep' from the ancient machine JEFF above them.

Rikku sighed and dropped to the floor in a heap. "Never again," she moaned, stretching forwards and rubbing her sore legs. "I've lost count of the amount of times that machina have tried to kill me now. You'd think I'd renounce my Al Bhed heritage or something..."

"It wasn't so bad," Nilus protested. Rikku snorted, and with a raised eyebrow pointed towards his top, which was now in two halves and completely open at the back. "Okay," he allowed. "It was pretty bad. Think there's anywhere in town that can fix this up quickly?"

Maelys ignored them both as her aeon floated towards her, wings not once moving. The creature stopped before her, bowed, and then burst into pyreflies with one final message, _Until next time, Lady Summoner._

The thought of it almost made her giggle. '_Lady Summoner'?_ Since when was she a lady? Ladies were women that went about their days worrying about what to cook for their husbands, or what silly hat they should wear to some fancy ball to impress people. Ladies had loads of people willing to pamper them with makeup, and would never sleep in the woods, or even contemplate having to wash in a stream, if not going a day without washing.

She certainly wasn't a lady.

But it still felt nice to be called one.

Above them the mechanical, emotionless voice of JEFF exploded into life, making them all jump.

"Congratulations User Rikku-underscore—is-underscore-the-underscore-greatest. You have successfully defeated the Baron Ochu. Please accept the congratulatory reward for your first-time defeat of this monster."

A podium began to emerge from underneath the ground, carrying on it a small brown leather pouch and two small pendants. After grumbling something about the machina still failing to understand her username, Rikku leapt at the podium, and with a gleeful little dance she swept up the rewards.

"Gil!" she declared happily, bouncing around on the spot. "And another star pendant. Ooh! And a talisman too!" She did a small dance on the spot before she swept the components up, and stared at them with big, wide eyes. "Here ya go Lian!" she announced, holding the star pendant towards him. "You might need this soon enough." She smiled as he thanked her for the trinket, then skipped over to Nilus and Maelys. "Hm," she grunted, placing a finger on her chin. "You've already got a necklace," she whispered towards the girl. "So here you go!" she said, presenting the talisman towards Nilus.

He smiled and took it from her. "So who died and made you in charge of the treasury?" he quipped as he tied it around his neck.

She snorted. "Would _you_ rather sit there and have to figure out who would be best wearing what equipment? You're the one that's always trying to figure out where we're going, what to do next, how we should go about everything. Cut yourself a little slack."

He rolled his eyes at her. "I _was_ joking. It's not my fault you're a control freak."

She folded her arms and her eyes narrowed at him. "And it's not my fault you're useless."

Maelys stared up at them both, wondering just _how_ they managed to start arguing after a fight like that. At least, it seemed like they were arguing.

But they were smiling at the same time.

Who actually smiled when they were arguing? Maelys knew arguments made people angry, or sad. Not happy.

It was just further proof that adults were just weird.

Her attention was quickly diverted as Yaibal's voice blared over the speakers. "Well done!" he nearly sang, sounding amazingly happy. "I knew you could do it!"

She would have rolled her eyes if she had the energy to do so. Instead she just focused on keeping upright, and settling what remained of her energy into glaring at the man through his Perspex box. Confidence in their abilities or no, he still shouldn't have left them to fight the beast alone. He was a commander of an army, wasn't he? He should have been able to get people to help them out.

Nilus looked up at the man and turned his right shoulder, rubbing it with his left hand. "So Yaibal, think you can get us some rooms for the night?" he shouted up to the box. "We're wiped."

"O-of course!" Yaibal stuttered, saluting them even from such a distance. "I'll send for someone to get your rooms ready right away!"

"Good," the Al Bhed grunted, flicking hair from his face. "Hopefully I can find someone to repair this top of mine. I really don't have the energy to even _attempt_ sewing after that fight."

"You're telling me," Rikku laughed. "So take a night off, sort out what we're doing in Luca when we get there?"

Nilus sighed with a shrug. "We've got about a three day ship journey for that. Let's just take the time off and relax. Maybe you can figure out something about these weapons they're going to give us? See how they work, maybe if anything can be done with them."

She nodded, though her eyes drifted up towards JEFF's controls. "Sure. Though tell the truth, I'd rather figure out how that machina works!" she declared, rubbing her hands together. "There's gotta be some trick to it that'll work well. Maybe we could figure it out, and put it on the airship that pops manages to find?"

Nilus groaned. "The last thing we need is Cid with a talking machina. Though knowing him, he'll probably end up loving it more than Brother."

"Yeah," Rikku agreed, a sad smile on her face. "Maybe."

Nilus winced. Brother, Buddy, Yuna and all the others were still a sore subject for her. Thankfully it seemed that Lian caught onto this as he strode forwards, stopping just before them. "Lian will scout building. Find merchant. Buy supplies. Ayde will protect summoner."

Behind him, the silent Ronso responded with a small grunt and a nod.

"Humes rest," Lian growled. "Need strength." He looked up and sniffed at the air, a deep growl building and rumbling from his throat. "Lian does not trust boats."

* * *

The circular chamber was dark, as it always was. It was painted a deep blue with the colour of the stones building it, and every so often a bright aqua glyph would light up on the wall, bathing the room in eerie light.

In the middle was a large silver throne, built atop a large metallic platform, decorated with small statues of stone, each displaying a different fiend. A malboro, a chimera, an anaconda and a spherimorph all framed the corners, immortalised forever in three-feet tall stone statues.

The man atop the statue stared at a nebulous of mana in his palms, watching over something only his gleaming red eyes could see.

Footsteps echoed from the start of the chamber, and Saeleos whipped his eyes away from his creation, closing his palms and snuffing it out with a small puff. He looked through the darkness, his eyes gleaming and showing him perfectly who was coming. A large man dressed in yellows and beiges, with a strange orange hairstyle.

Behind him he could see another man; one he'd never seen before. He was as large as Wakka, though perhaps only half his width; clearly all muscle and perhaps a little too thin for someone of his size. Yet still he carried himself with a sense of power Saeleos' thrall did not. The man's upper torso was bare, decorated only with a small pendant holding a shark's tooth. Gauntlets were strapped to his forearms, covering up to his fingers in the strange, shining black metal. The gauntlets had a strange striped pattern over his forearms, making them seem almost like bandages of bone, and above them he wore black elbow guards with golden swirled decorations.

He wore a kilt of sorts, black in colour, though with flashes of red coming through. Golden linked belts hung around his hips, one over the other, and he wore long gladiator boots with golden trim. Around his stomach he wore a tight crimson wrap, decorated on the front with the black outline of what seemed to be a face inside the sun. On the back was a skull with snakes slithering through its eye sockets and mouth; the skull outlined in black, the snakes in gold.

A small dagger hung between his belts, and sheathed on his back was a large katana. His face, however, was completely hidden behind an almost flat skull mask. It looked vaguely human, though had two large spikes coming out of its chin, and there was no mouth on the mask, only straight bone.

The man stopped behind Wakka and placed his hands behind his back, offering a small nod towards Saeleos.

Saeleos himself remained silent, studying the man. "What is the meaning of this?" he finally uttered.

"He claims he has an appointment to see you, ya?" Wakka muttered, his damnable accent slipping through even under Saeleos' influence. "Said he'd cut down any that tried to stop him from seein' you. Says it's important."

The ancient Zanarkand man's eyes flashed. "And tell me, is all of this true? I do not remember scheduling any appointments to see anyone today."

The masked man remained stoic. There was no movement from any of his body, and Saeleos wasn't even sure he _breathed_, he moved so little.

"You are seeking generals, are you not?" the man finally said, his voice dark, experienced and distant, as if coming through a respirator. "I came to pledge my services."

Saeleos nodded and rubbed his chin. "It is true I seek generals of war," he conceded. "But tell me, do you honestly think lying and threatening your way to my chambers is a good way of earning my respect."

Still, the man did not move. "What would you prefer me do? Beg?"

His comment managed to make Saeleos smirk. "Touché," he conceded. "Very well," he said with a nod, and leant forwards to look at the man. "Then tell me something about yourself. You wish to serve me; I wish to know about you."

"You may call me Kylar," the man said, still as a statue. "As for personal details, you shall not know. A general should be based on abilities in war, not on who can bake the best cookies, or who has the largest family waiting for him back home."

Saeleos barked a laugh. "I like you," he conceded. "You speak your mind, and are unafraid in my presence. It is pleasantly refreshing." He clapped his hands. "Very well, I have a task for you. Complete it, and you shall become under my employ."

Kylar gave him the smallest of nods.

"Tell me," the Zanarkand man hissed. "What do you know of those known as Sir Nilus and Lady Rikku?"

"I know exactly what Spira knows," the man replied, voice clipped and even. "Saviours of Spira; vanquishers of Sin and Vegnagun. Supposed killers of Lady Lulu."

Saeleos lifted an eyebrow. "'Supposed'?" he repeated. Obviously his thralls must not have been doing a good enough job spreading the rumours...

"I did not see the crime," Kylar said. "And the only proof is Lady Yuna's claims. She is our saviour too, but facts are established on evidence, not hearsay."

"And is it not evidence when someone claims to have seen someone kill another?" Saeleos challenged.

"Our memories of what we see can be changed by what we convince ourselves we saw," the masked man retorted. "If we see a dog maul a child, we can tell people it was a dingo fiend, until eventually we believe the tale ourselves, and remember it exactly the way we tell it."

"Very well," Saeleos said with a nod. It was obvious the man before him was smart, and capable of rational thought even within his presence. He knew that if he didn't tread carefully, this 'Kylar' could make a very powerful enemy. "Then your mission; Lady Rikku and Sir Nilus are currently in Kilika, awaiting transport towards Luca. You shall intercept their ship in the middle of the ocean, and _delay_ their arrival in Kilika, by whatever means necessary. They travel with a child and two Ronso; the Ronso are expendable, the child is not."

"As you wish," Kylar said with a small nod. "I shall depart immediately and set sail."

"Good," Saeleos whispered. "I shall arrange for the most able and experienced ferrymen to take you there. Do not disappoint me, and I shall make you one of my generals."

The man swept his hand beneath him in a bow. "Very well my lord," he said, and turned to leave instantly.

Behind him, Saeleos' eyes trained on the man, evaluating him and the possible risks he would pose. "Lead him to the docks," he demanded of Wakka, and turned his attention away instantly.

Alone in his chamber, the man smiled to himself. One more general for his ranks. Things were slotting into place perfectly.

* * *

Kylar stepped out into the light of Besaid, aware he was being followed. He stopped and waited long enough for the muscle-bound blitzer to catch up to him, and evaluated him silently as he gave him a nod.

"I'll show you to the docks, ya?" the man – Wakka – offered.

Kylar gave him a small nod, and fell into line behind him. The man walked around the island like a native, and was dressed in the team's blitz uniform, but something seemed off about him. His eyes seemed lifeless, and he seemed not to care about the island. Most born in such a tropical paradise would have ensured the safety of their crops and fruit, as most locations were self-sustaining. This man, however, didn't seem to care. He would trample over patches of vegetables and pass by feral fiends without a care in the world.

Something was definitely strange about him.

Still Wakka continued to lead him through the village, a silent guide, his presence felt rather than known. He explained nothing of the village; not it's temple, it's huts, it's people, or even the large crater in the middle of the square.

Yet at the crater, the man seemed to stop and stare. Kylar followed his gaze, and saw a small scrap of black leather stuck underneath a rock. It flitted beneath its trappings, trying to escape and follow free with the wind.

When finally it did, Wakka seemed to follow it with some vague sort of emotion on his face. For a moment his eyes seemed to uncloud, and life lit up in them again.

And just like that, it was gone.

Wakka nodded towards the masked man once more, then continued to walk again. Kylar couldn't help but feel that something was strange about the people on this island, and that there was definitely a lot going on behind the scenes. Saeleos was a major player, and he was undoubtedly up to something.

Though it was blaringly obvious that it was better to be allied to him, than opposed to him. If he sought the death of two of Spira's saviours, with the command of three at his behest, it went without saying that the man was powerful.

And woe befall those who were against him.

* * *

**Trivia:**

**~ Kylar's attire is Aztec-inspired  
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Trophy Unlocked: **_n/a  
_

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**To be continued...**


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